Symbiotics is pleased to announce that the Regional MSME Investment Fund for Sub-Saharan Africa (REGMIFA) has been awarded the 2X Certification, a globally recognized benchmark for gender-smart investing.
This achievement places REGMIFA among a select group of impact funds that meet rigorous criteria for advancing gender equality, a milestone that underscores the Fund’s long-standing commitment to inclusive and responsible finance.
Since its launch in 2010, REGMIFA has been managed by Symbiotics, which acts as both the Fund’s Investment Manager and the manager of its Technical Assistance Facility. This long-standing partnership enables the Fund to combine investment capital with targeted capacity-building support, strengthening the gender-focused initiatives that contributed to this certification.
The 2X Certification provides a framework for assessing how funds and companies integrate gender considerations into their governance, strategy, and portfolio. This recognition reflects REGMIFA’s commitment to supporting women’s economic empowerment across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Fund collects gender-disaggregated data from its Partner Lending Institutions (PLIs) and conducts impact surveys with all end borrowers, including specific analysis of outcomes for women. The 2025 results show strong impacts for women: 86% reported increased business income, 50% noted a significant improvement in quality of life, and 70% reported greater influence over household decisions thanks to access to financial services.
“We are proud that REGMIFA has achieved the 2X Certification, which highlights our commitment to advancing gender equality,” said Edwige Takassi, Board member of REGMIFA.
“Given REGMIFA’s mission to foster inclusive and sustainable economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa, we believe that gender equality is essential to achieving this mission. Closing the gender gap in finance is not only a matter of justice but also a catalyst for more inclusive growth. Along our journey, we have taken steps to strengthen gender balance within the fund’s governance, set targets for gender-focused investments and we are actively supporting our partner lending institutions through a three-tiered technical assistance package to advance gender inclusion. In 2024, women represented 39% of REGMIFA’s end borrowers, an important reflection of our collective efforts. We thank our donors, partners, and implementers, whose commitment strengthens the collective leadership that makes the 2X movement possible.”
“Symbiotics is proud to support REGMIFA in this milestone,” added Betsy Espinoza, Sustainability Manager at Symbiotics. “We began implementing the Fund’s gender-smart interventions in late 2023, following REGMIFA’s Board guidance, and it is encouraging to see the first results. Both Symbiotics and REGMIFA recognize the barriers women in Sub-Saharan Africa continue to face, and advancing gender equity remains central to our work in financial inclusion. This achievement aligns perfectly with Symbiotics’ core values and our commitment to fostering sustainable development in emerging and frontier markets.”
The 2X Certification reinforces REGMIFA’s leadership in gender-lens investing in Sub-Saharan Africa and highlights Symbiotics’ role in supporting innovative, high-impact financial inclusion initiatives.
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For more information, contact:
Samy Derradji, Head of Corporate Communication, Symbiotics
samy.derradji@symbioticsgroup.com
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About Symbiotics
Symbiotics is the leading market access platform for impact investing, dedicated to private markets in emerging and frontier economies. The group offers investment, asset management and capacity building services. Since 2005, we have originated over 8,200 investments representing more than USD 10.5 billion for 608 companies in 99 countries. We manage an aggregate portfolio of USD 2.5 billion spread across 19 funds and mandates. Our portfolio companies have also benefited from over 170 technical assistance projects worth more than USD 19 million. symbioticsgroup.com
About REGMIFA
Launched in 2010, the REGMIFA Fund is a blended finance initiative that attracts both public and private investors seeking impactful ventures with risk-adjusted returns. Since its inception, the Fund has generated USD 670 million in investments across Sub-Saharan Africa, impacting over 2 million micro-entrepreneurs. A parallel Technical Assistance Facility provides tailored technical and institutional support to REGMIFA’s partner institutions, enhancing their capacity and effectiveness. regmifa.com
