GGSF – Global Gender-Smart Fund
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) targeted





Description of the Project
Structured as an evergreen blended finance debt fund, the GGSF aims to strengthen the provision of gender-smart and responsible financial services to underserved women, women-owned or women-led businesses in developing markets, with the aim to improve livelihoods, increase gender balance and outreach, and promote women’s leadership.
Since its inception in 2009 as an emergency response vehicle to the global financial crisis, the Fund has successfully provided liquidity to the microfinance sector across the developing world. Over the years, the Fund’s role has evolved to serve the changing needs of the microfinance sector. Building on this historical positive outcome, and with the intention to enhance the Fund’s focus on an area with clear additionality, in 2024, the Fund turned its attention to a key priority within financial inclusion that warrants special focus: gender-smart investing and responsible finance.
“Gender-smart” or “gender-lens” investing is defined as the use of capital to simultaneously generate financial return and advance gender equality. It integrates gender analysis into financial analysis, for example to assess gender segmentation of the portfolio.
The Fund strategy is complemented by a Technical Assistance Facility supported by Niras and Women’s World Banking. The TA Facility of the fund has three objectives :
- To make gender equity a fully integrated part of the operations of the partner financial institutions (PFIs).
- To support Partner financial institutions in improving their own gender performances and strategies
- To support Partner financial institutions in developing gender-smart products & services for the final beneficiaries
Source : https://ggs-fund.com/
Innpact contribution
Innpact supported the re-structuring of the Microfinance Enhancement Facility into the Global Gender Smart Fund, including the refinement of the fund’s investment strategy, development of the impact management system and implementation of a new governance structure.
As the alternative investment fund manager (AIFM) of the fund from 1 January 2024, Innpact Fund Management S.A. is responsible for the global portfolio management, placement, and impact management of the GGSF as well as acting as the Technical Assistance Facility Manager.
The Portfolio Management is delegated to three leading portfolio managers in the gender space: Incofin Investment Management, responsAbility Investments, and Triple Jump.
Source : https://ggs-fund.com/
Project Factsheet
- Name: Global Gender-Smart Fund S.A., SICAV-SIF
- Inception: February 2009
- AIFM: Innpact Fund Management S.A.
- Portfolio Managers: Triple Jump, Incofin Investment Management & responsAbility Investments
- Technical Assistance Providers : Niras, Women’s World Banking
- Sector: Financial Services
- Geographic Focus: Global Emerging Markets
- End‐Beneficiaries: Underserved women, women-owned and women-led businesses in developing countries
- Financial Instruments: Private Debt
- Structure : Evergreen, blended finance
- Legal Form: Luxembourg S.A., SICAV-SIF
- SFDR Classification: Article 9
The content of this webpage is for information purposes only and should not be construed and/or considered and/ or taken to constitute advice and/or solicitation of an offer or a recommendation to enter into any transaction or buy or sell any financial instrument or to make any investment and/or as any other investment advice.