On the occasion of the launch of the Japan ASEAN Women Empowerment Fund (JAWEF) on October 27, the Ambassador of Switzerland in Japan, H.E. Jean-François Paroz, hosted a dinner for the parties who contributed to this meaningful initiative aimed at fighting poverty and empowering women. JAWEF was set up and is managed by the Swiss-based impact specialist BlueOrchard, with the appreciation of the Japanese Government and following Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s initiative to empower women. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), as well as leading Japanese institutional investors have committed meaningful resources to the fund. JAWEF will provide perpetual lending facilities to predominantly female micro and small entrepreneurs in ASEAN. Investing 120 Million USD into microfinance institutions, it will empower women in South East Asia and have a strong positive impact on society. The fund further marks an important milestone enabling Japanese institutional investors to access the impact asset class and to secure attractive and uncorrelated returns whilst allowing for direct social and environmental impact.