Gender bonds Scoping study summary

This executive summary of a scoping study by FSD Africa examines the emerging market for gender bonds, which are debt instruments designed to support the advancement, empowerment, and equality of women. The document outlines the current state of the market, identifies gaps in reporting and standards, and assesses the potential for issuing such bonds in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically in South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya.

• As of March 2020, 13 gender-labelled bonds have been issued by entities including NGOs, multilateral development banks, and large commercial banks. These bonds are categorized into 'Corporate behaviour' bonds, which focus on the borrower's internal gender equality practices; 'Financial inclusion' bonds, which target women's economic empowerment and are typically found in frontier and emerging markets; and multilateral/DFI social or SDG-labelled bonds that include gender-focused proceeds.
• The gender bond market lacks official definitions, dedicated guidance principles, and specific eligibility criteria for the use of proceeds. Consequently, most issuers rely on external reference standards such as the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, or the ICMA’s Social Bond Principles.

APA

FSD Africa (2020). Gender bonds Scoping study summary. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Scoping-study-Gender-bonds-summary-22.07.20.pdf

Chicago

FSD Africa. Gender bonds Scoping study summary. 2020. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Scoping-study-Gender-bonds-summary-22.07.20.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=FSD Africa |title=Gender bonds Scoping study summary |date=July 2020 |url=https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Scoping-study-Gender-bonds-summary-22.07.20.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fsdafrica2020gender, author = {{FSD Africa}}, title = {{Gender bonds Scoping study summary}}, institution = {FSD Africa}, year = {2020}, month = jul, url = {https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Scoping-study-Gender-bonds-summary-22.07.20.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }