Dhaka, Bangladesh | 17 February 2026 – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance gender-inclusive sustainable finance in Bangladesh. Through the collaboration, UNDP and IIX aim to support Bangladesh’s emerging thematic bond landscape by developing thematic debt instruments that mobilize capital for women and underserved communities, while adhering to international standards of transparency, accountability, and impact. The collaboration will also include feasibility studies, policy and stakeholder engagement, technical assistance, issuer and market capacity building, post-issuance monitoring and reporting, and engaging regulators, investors, and development partners to foster a credible and inclusive bond market ecosystem.

“Mobilizing capital for gender equality and climate resilience requires strong market infrastructure, informed policy dialogue, and trusted partnerships,” said Stefan Liller, Resident Representative at UNDP Bangladesh. “This collaboration with IIX allows us to combine UNDP’s policy expertise and country presence with global innovations in sustainable finance, helping ensure that thematic bonds such as Orange Bonds are aligned with national priorities and deliver measurable development outcomes.”

IIX, as the architect and steward of the Orange Bond Principles™, will contribute its technical expertise in gender-lens investing, bond framework development, and impact measurement. The Orange Bond Initiative™, inspired by Sustainable Development Goal 5 on Gender Equality, seeks to channel capital toward gender-transformative and climate-aligned outcomes, while strengthening investor confidence through independent standards and verification.

“UNDP has been playing an instrumental role in shaping Bangladesh’s impact and sustainable finance ecosystem,” said Prof. Durreen Shahnaz, Founder and CEO of IIX. “Our partnership with UNDP comes at a critical time for the nation’s development and SDG agenda. It reflects our shared commitment to engage with key public, private, civil society, and development sector stakeholders toward strengthening the impact investment and Orange capital markets in the country. By bringing together our focus on policy, capacity building, data and transparency, and capital mobilization, the partnership will enable the institutional adoption of inclusive finance, creating pathways for meaningful and measurable change for women and underserved communities to help achieve the country’s SDG agenda.”

With Bangladesh set to transition to become a developing nation in November 2026, concessional finance and preferential trade will be greatly reduced. Developing credible and inclusive capital markets and innovative financial instruments will be critical for driving the nation’s future growth.

These efforts are intended to strengthen long-term market confidence and ensure that thematic bond issuances contribute meaningfully to Bangladesh’s sustainable development trajectory.

This collaboration reflects a shared ambition by UNDP and IIX to contribute to the development of resilient, inclusive, and impact-aligned capital markets that support Bangladesh’s broader development goals.