Over 110 Exchanges unite for this year’s Ring the Bell for Gender Equality

In celebration of International Women’s Day on 8 March 2026, stock exchanges around the world will once again take part in the 12th annual Ring the Bell for Gender Equality campaign, jointly organised by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), UN Global Compact, UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) Initiative, UN Women, and the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE).

Under this year’s International Women’s Day theme, “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” the campaign calls on capital markets to strengthen transparency, accountability and incentives that support women’s rights and economic empowerment, ensuring markets work for women and girls everywhere.

Over 110 stock exchanges around the globe will host bell-ringing ceremonies and related activities that draw attention to the critical role the private sector plays in advancing gender equality and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These events provide an opportunity for collective action across markets, with participating exchanges invited to consider concrete measures to continue promoting equality between women and men and women’s economic participation. Find a list of all participating exchanges here.

The initiative also highlights the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), a set of global best practices developed by UN Women and the UN Global Compact to help businesses advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace, and community. Building on this framework, the UN SSE, UN Women, and the IFC recently published a WEPs-based analysis of gender equality disclosure metrics, underscoring the need for greater transparency and standardization of sex-disaggregated information to support the rights of women and girls.

About Ring the Bell for Gender Equality

Launched in 2015 by the UN Global Compact, UN SSE and UN Women, the Ring the Bell for Gender Equality campaign has grown from a small number of participating stock exchanges to a global series of coordinated events uniting exchanges with investors, regulators, issuers and civil society. Since 2016, the initiative has been expanded to include the IFC and the World Federation of Exchanges among its organising partners.

Together, these global partners aim to raise awareness of the pivotal role that financial markets and the broader private sector play in driving equality of women and men — encouraging exchanges and companies to implement practices that improve women’s access to finance, participation in leadership, and economic opportunity. 

About our Partner Organizations

International Finance Corporation (IFC)

IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2025, IFC committed a record $71.1 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging private sector solutions and mobilizing private capital to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet. For more information, visit www.ifc.org. Follow us on our social media platforms: www.ifc.org/SocialMediaIndex. 

The Sustainable Stock Exchanges initiative

The SSE initiative is a UN Partnership Programme organised by UNCTAD, the UN Global Compact, UNEP FI and the PRI. The SSE’s mission is to provide a global platform for exploring how exchanges, in collaboration with investors, companies (issuers), regulators, policymakers and relevant international organizations, can enhance performance on ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) issues and encourage sustainable investment, including the financing of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The SSE seeks to achieve this mission through an integrated programme of conducting evidence-based policy analysis, facilitating a network and forum for multi-stakeholder consensus-building, and providing technical assistance and advisory services. To learn more about becoming a Partner Stock Exchange or participating as a regulator or investor, visit sseinitiative.org. Follow us on LinkedIn. 

United Nations Global Compact

The ambition of the UN Global Compact is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the SDGs through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 20,000 participating companies, 5 Regional Hubs, 66 Country Networks covering 85 countries and 9 Country Managers establishing Networks in 16 other countries, the UN Global Compact is the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative — one Global Compact uniting business for a better world. For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at unglobalcompact.org.

United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)

UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide. It works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for women and girls and stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life. In collaboration with the UN Global Compact, UN Women engages the private sector through the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) — a global framework and engagement platform to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace, and community. As of 2025, WEPs has attracted over 10.000 CEOs and their companies in 190 countries to accelerate this agenda. UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s work in advancing gender equality. Learn more at: www.unwomen.org and www.weps.org. Follow us on Twitter @UN_Women, @WEPrinciples and on LinkedIn: UN Women, WEPs.

About the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE):

Established in 1961, the WFE is the global industry association for exchanges and clearing houses. Headquartered in London, it represents over 250 market infrastructure providers, including standalone CCPs that are not part of exchange groups. Of our members, 37% are in Asia-Pacific, 44% in EMEA and 19% in the Americas. WFE’s 87 member CCPs and clearing services collectively ensure that risk takers post some $1.3 trillion (equivalent) of resources to back their positions, in the form of initial margin and default fund requirements. WFE exchanges, together with other exchanges feeding into our database, are home to over 51,000 listed companies, and the market capitalisation of these entities is over $110 trillion; around $140 trillion (EOB) in trading annually passes through WFE members (at end 2024).

The WFE is the definitive source for exchange-traded statistics and publishes over 350 market data indicators. Its free statistics database stretches back 49 years and provides information and insight into developments on global exchanges. The WFE works with standard-setters, policy makers, regulators and government organisations around the world to support and promote the development of fair, transparent, stable and efficient markets. The WFE shares regulatory authorities’ goals of ensuring the safety and soundness of the global financial system.

With extensive experience of developing and enforcing high standards of conduct, the WFE and its members support an orderly, secure, fair and transparent environment for investors; for companies that raise capital; and for all who deal with financial risk. We seek outcomes that maximise the common good, consumer confidence and economic growth. And we engage with policy makers and regulators in an open, collaborative way, reflecting the central, public role that exchanges and CCPs play in a globally integrated financial system. Website: www.world-exchanges.org.