Dear Friend,
As March draws to a close, so too does Women’s History Month 2026. And of course, just around the corner, we’ll soon mark the end of Q1 on our corporate calendars.
On the surface, these are routine milestones—dates that come around every year, every quarter. But in the context of a month that has felt particularly febrile and unsettled at times, with so much happening and changing just over the past month, they invite a moment of reflection.
In our last edition, ahead of the global commemoration of International Women’s Day, we encouraged you to look beyond the hashtags and the often-performative expressions of support for women’s advancement, and instead to seek out what meaningful commitment truly looks like.
As it turns out, the close of Q1 offers a useful, if slightly corporate, metaphor for exactly that.
Because while March shines a spotlight on women, Q1 is a quietly powerful reminder that the work does not end when the spotlight fades. There are, quite literally, three more quarters ahead of us this year. And more importantly, there is still so much to be done to build a world that is fair, inclusive, and economically empowering for women everywhere.
At a time when progress on issues like the gender pay gap has slowed, and when hard-won gains are being tested in some parts of the world, this continuity matters. It reminds us that real change is not driven by moments of visibility alone, but by sustained, deliberate action over time.
Encouragingly, that spirit of action is alive and well across our community.
Just last week, we convened our network on three occasions over two days—bringing together leaders, practitioners, and innovators committed to making capital work for women.
We kicked things off on LinkedIn with the inaugural episode of The 2X Factor, our new live series spotlighting the ideas and actors shaping the future of gender lens investing. We were delighted to be joined by Lisa Harding of the Caribbean Development Bank and Dr Rosanna Saladin-Subero of the Clara Lionel Foundation—founded by global entrepreneur and artist Rihanna. Alongside our own Rutendo Chandiwana, they shared practical insights and real-world examples of how catalytic capital is helping women-led businesses grow, attract investment, and move to the next stage.
If you haven’t yet tuned in, we encourage you to catch the conversation on our page.
We then continued the momentum with our first members-only GLI Deep Dive of 2026—a two-day virtual seminar designed to equip our community with the tools, insights, and connections needed to drive impact.
Focusing on GLI Fundamentals: Tools, Incentives & Growth, the sessions brought together participants from across six continents, spanning time zones, sectors, and institutions, demonstrating the power of a community connected by a collective mission. Over the two days, members shared concrete examples of the outcomes from their gender lens investing approaches - improved profits, sustainable growth and meaningful impact, underscoring that advancing women’s economic empowerment is not only necessary but financially and socially transformative.
As we move beyond March, that sense of shared purpose is what we carry forward. Because while moments like Women’s History Month can spark attention, it is sustained engagement—quarter after quarter—that drives lasting change.
Keep reading for a selection of the latest GLI news and insights.
In Community,
2X Global Team
