news - FMO first development finance institution (DFI) to earn certification for gender equality

FMO, the Dutch development bank, is proud to announce that it has become Europe’s first development finance institution and the second company in the Netherlands to become EDGE certified.

Economic Dividends from Gender Equality (EDGE) is the leading global standard for gender equality. EGDE Certification requires a rigorous external assessment of the workplace environment through an employee survey and review of company policy and practice against the international best practice defined by EDGE. The standard focusses on five areas of the workplace environment: equal pay for equal work; recruitment and promotion; leadership development and mentoring; flexible working arrangements; and company culture. Achieving EDGE Assess level recognizes FMO’s public commitment to gender equality. FMO’s almost 500 staff consists of 51 % men, 49 % women and over 39 different nationalities.  

Jurgen Rigterink, CEO FMO, commented, “Empowering female entrepreneurs and contributing to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality is a core part of FMO’s strategy. Over the last year, we have financed several projects such as the Women’s Entrepreneurs Debt Fund and a new US $7.5m loan to ASA Pakistan, a leading microfinance institution in Pakistan, to fund women micro-entrepreneurs, as well as organizing a conference with the Global Banking Alliance for Women on the importance of supporting women-owned businesses." 

Fundamental to the success of FMO is building a diverse and inclusive organizational culture internally that supports both men and women to thrive. EDGE certification is an important part of our strategy to support gender equality within FMO, providing an external benchmark for measuring our progress against international best practice standard over time.

FMO actively stimulates diversity because it brings different perspectives and approaches to our work, which contribute to better performance. Next to the gender equality focus, FMO seeks to build a diverse and inclusive workforce with regard to cultural diversity in order to optimally serve our clients and stakeholders around the world.

Aniela Unguresan, co-Founder of the EDGE Certified Foundation, the Global Standard for Gender Equality, said: "FMO is to be congratulated on achieving its EDGE Assess Certification.  It demonstrates that the organization is committed to achieving gender equality and inclusion at all levels.  It also sends a strong message to FMO’s employees, key stakeholders and industry peers, that gender equality is an important strategic goal.  By attaining EDGE Assess Certification, FMO is joining a select and ever growing number of global institutions committed to closing the gender gap."