Asset Management

Women’s World Banking Asset Management (WAM)

WAM invests in innovative inclusive finance companies in the emerging markets, guiding them to capture the substantial market share of financially under-served women and the substantial talent pool of women staff and leaders.

> $150M AUM

Channeling Investment Capital to Promote Women’s Financial Inclusion

We put money where our mission is and make direct equity investments in inclusive financial institutions with an explicit focus on women through Women’s World Banking Capital Partners Funds I and II. We create value through advocacy and a dedicated technical assistance facility to help portfolio companies capture the sizable market of financially underserved women and attract female talent to all parts of their organizations, thereby achieving higher returns on investment while helping to close the gender gap in financial inclusion.

Why Gender Lens Investing?

Gender lens investing is not only about pursuing gender equality as a social good for its own sake; it is also a strategy for financial outperformance. Investing in women as customers and as workforce and leadership talent leads to stronger institutions, better returns and a more equitable world. Women’s World Banking leverages its investment expertise along with its technical assistance capabilities to showcase the financial and social returns of investing with a gender lens.

Our Impact

Fund I at a Glance

10

Investments

10

Million Clients
50% women

8

Countries

83%

increase in women reached by portfolio companies

Fund II at a Glance

9

Investments

2.9

Million Clients
47% women

5

Sectors

affordable housing, micro-enterprise finance, microinsurance, asset finance, SME finance

6

Countries

What Makes Our Approach Unique

Fund I was a pioneer of gender-focused impact investing in inclusive financial service providers. Fund II expands the gender-focused investment strategy in innovative financial service providers, with a dedicated technical assistance facility to help portfolio companies achieve strategic objectives toward gender inclusion. Each Portfolio Company will undergo an in-depth, data-driven Gender Assessment resulting in customized, strategic Gender Action Plans – a unique approach to gender lens investing designed to drive the greatest impact. Rigorous, gender-disaggregated data collection demonstrates gender inclusion results.

Learn More

Portfolio Companies

India

Ananya Finance for Inclusive Growth

Annapurna Microfinance Pvt Ltd

Colombia

Banco WWB

Bolivia

BancoSol

Jordan

Sanadcom

Paraguay

Financiera El Comercio

Tajikistan

HUMO

Tanzania

NMB

Tunisia

Enda

Fund II
Fund I
Fund I Exited.

Investors

 

Fund II benefits from two anchor investors who provided catalytic investment capital and grants to the technical assistance facility

Funded by the European Union

A further ~40 investors across both Funds represent a mix of development finance institutions, private pension funds, inclusive finance investment vehicles and individual investors.

Women’s World Banking Asset Management Team

Mary Ellen Iskenderian

President & CEO

Christina (CJ) Juhasz

Chief Investment Officer

Yrenilsa Lopez

Principal Investment Officer & Portfolio Manager

Elisabeth Ballreich

Principal Investment Officer & Operations Manager

Rajat Arora

Principal Investment Officer & Head of Asia

Kevin Kamemba

Principal Investment Officer & Head of Africa

Angie Goenaga

Senior Investment Associate

Maggie Callahan

Senior Investor Relations and Marketing Officer

Hugo Spaulding

Senior Investment Analyst

Independent Investment Committee Members

Kiendel Burritt

Founder,
Digital Africa Investments

Cesare Calari

Partner,
Encourage Capital LLC

Sanjiv Kapur

Senior Advisor,
EMPEA

Grievances

 

Any individual or community who believes that a portfolio company of WWB Asset Management has adversely affected or is likely to adversely affect them can submit a complaint to grievanceswam@womensworldbanking.org.