TEST: 2X Global Summit 2026 Special Edition

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Subject: TEST: 2X Global Summit 2026 Special Edition

2X Global: Unlocking gender-smart capital at scale

Dear Friend,

It’s that time of year when you get an extra edition of our newsletter in your inbox and that’s because the 2X Global Summit 2026 is just around the corner.

This year’s Summit will take place in Montréal, Canada, from 15–17 September, hosted in partnership with Global Affairs Canada and FinDev Canada. Our annual gathering brings together members, strategic partners, capital providers and field-builders from across the investment ecosystem to connect, challenge ideas and shape the future of finance for women.

Under the theme Grounded Capital. Global Partners, this year’s Summit will explore the key role of the 2X Global community in today’s financial system. At a time when impact investing and gender equity initiatives face headwinds, our message is clear: this is a community united in its commitment to financing women, grounded in the growing body of evidence that demonstrates the financial, social, and economic benefits of investing in women and girls.

Over the course of these three days, we’ll delve into what it takes to build a financial system which works - for women and hence for everyone. From showcasing investment standards and innovative finance models to building the partnerships needed to move more capital towards women, the 2X Global Summit is where the work gets done.

As noted in this message from Patricia Pena, Assistant Deputy Minister, Global Affairs Canada bringing the Summit to Canada marks an important chapter for 2X Global.

Looking to the 2X Global Summit 2026: Patricia Pena, Asst Deputy Minister, Global Affairs Canada

Bringing the Summit to Canada marks an important chapter for 2X Global. It was on a stage in Canada that the country helped launch the 2X Challenge in 2018, during its G7 Presidency - laying the foundation for what has become the global movement that is 2X Global today.

Following previous Summit editions in Europe, Africa and Asia, it feels fitting to return to the continent and country where it all began.

Explore the Summit page.

Scroll down for a preview of some of this year’s sessions, along with a curated selection of articles, research and insights connected to this year’s Summit themes and speakers.

In Community,

2X Global team

2X Global Summit Reads

Thoughts from our Co-Host on the first 2X Global Summit in Africa.

FinDev Canada has made its first direct investment in Cote D’Ivoire, with the signing of a EUR 40 million loan to NSIA Banque Côte d’Ivoire S.A. (“NSIA”), a leading bank in Côte d’Ivoire. The financing will support NSIA in improving access to financial services for underserved populations, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and women-owned or led SMEs (WSMEs).

Challenges and opportunities facing women in fintech.

Measuring women’s economic empowerment - which metrics matter? Participants at the 2X Global Summit are brought together by the shared belief that women’s economic empowerment is not just nice to have but an economic necessity with compelling benefits to the whole of society. But how do you measure this economic empowerment to ensure it’s impactful? A recent policy brief from the data team at our Summit partner FINCA provides rigorous statistical evidence to show which indicators matter, with recommendations for programme development and design.

Women spearheading research into an overlooked medium for medical diagnostics.

How to reach women at every stage of their financial journey. In this compelling conversation from FINCA, hear how putting women at the center of financial inclusion, investment and product innovation can help unlock greater economic opportunity and resilience. This conversation explores practical approaches to reaching women where they are, backing women-led businesses and using data and research to design financial products that respond to women’s realities.

How do you embed gender lens investing into day-to-day investment decisions? British International Investment’s (BII) Gender & Inclusive Finance Toolkit is a free, practical resource for investors, fund managers and the businesses they invest in. With plug-and-play tools across the investment lifecycle, case studies from BII's portfolio, and an Inclusive Business section for portfolio companies, every resource is designed for real world application. Summit participants will learn more about how to use the toolkit on Day 2 at the session "Built to Last: Investing in Women".

The participation multiplier: telling a fuller story of gender lens investing. This new blog post from our member Advance Global Capital, asks the question - ‘what if the true impact of gender-lens investing extends well beyond the women directly receiving capital?’. Drawing on its own portfolio, it examines data which shows that when women receive capital, the impact goes well beyond the woman receiving financing.

Why Care is Climate Infrastructure. That climate change is shifting and intensifying care demands which statistically fall far more heavily on women, is not in question. This report from Canada’s International Development Research Center (IDRC) examines how the intersection of climate change and existing care system constraints are shaping women-led MSMEs and what can be done to address both.

…And also Agriculture Infrastructure. What happens when we treat care as essential agricultural infrastructure rather than a private household responsibility? Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is supporting a pilot programme for cooperative-level care investments across three Costa Rican coffee enterprises to test how investing in childcare and other care solutions can strengthen women’s participation in the agricultural workforce, improve worker retention and productivity, and build more resilient businesses.

What kind of support advances gender equity at an organisational level? A recent study funded by IDRC examined whether and how funding, engagement and technical support from IDRC and other research for development (R4D) funders influenced gender equality and inclusion related change processes within partner institutions.

We look forward to meeting many of you in Montreal! Be a part of 2X Global and join our member-exclusive events.

Explore membership.

Last year's 2X Global Summit in Manila was an example of what bold, collective action on gender-smart investing looks like. Returning to Canada, the country where the foundation of 2X Global was laid is a special moment, creating an opportunity for both reflection and forward movement.

We’re proud to count on the support of leading organisations joining us in Manila to amplify gender-smart solutions. The following organisations are helping to make the 2X Global Summit 2026 a reality.

Watch the playlist.

In partnership with

Summit partners

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Subject: TEST: 2X Global Summit 2026 Special Edition