Japan ASEAN Women Empowerment Fund

What they do

JAWEF is a pioneering blended finance vehicle designed to bridge the financing gap for female entrepreneurs in Southeast Asia. Managed by Swiss impact specialist BlueOrchard, it was launched with the backing of the Japanese government (JBIC, JICA) to mobilize private institutional capital. The fund uses a tiered capital structure (first-loss, mezzanine, senior) to de-risk investments for private investors like Sumitomo Life, allowing them to invest in high-impact microfinance markets they would otherwise avoid. In 2019, the fund expanded significantly, doubling its size to $241M and bringing in the Sasakawa Peace Foundation as a new partner to deepen its gender-lens focus.

What they look for

Empowering women through financial inclusion. The fund believes that providing access to capital for female micro-entrepreneurs leads to stronger economic growth, poverty reduction, and better social outcomes for families. The fund provides debt financing (senior and subordinated loans) to Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) and other financial intermediaries, which then on-lend to individual female borrowers.

Stage

Series B+

Sectors

Fintech, Other

Based

Zurich, CH