Reflections from Wedu’s ED: Cultivating capital for lasting change

As I reflect on the second quarter of 2026, I am struck by a theme that connected three very different convenings I had the privilege to attend: Philanthropy Asia Summit, the Global Income Sharing Agreements (ISA) Alliance Convening, and the Blended Finance Decisionmakers Roundtable co-hosted by Columbia University’s Sustainable Investing Research Initiative (SIRI) and the Global Blended Finance Alliance.

Each gathering focused on different challenges, yet all returned to the same underlying question: what does it take to create meaningful and lasting change at scale?

At the Philanthropy Asia Summit, discussions on Asia’s energy transition highlighted the complexity of today’s global challenges. While one panel hosted by the Asia Climate Philanthropy Advisory encouraged panellists to respond with a simple “true” or “false,” the conversations quickly revealed that the most important questions rarely have binary answers. Whether discussing climate action, energy security, or economic development, progress requires us to navigate competing priorities, engage constructively across differences, and remain open to learning from perspectives that challenge our own.

At the Global ISA Alliance Convening, I was reminded that finance is ultimately about people. The release of the Global ISA Alliance Standards marked an important milestone for our field, reflecting years of collaboration and shared learning. It also reinforced what makes Wedu’s model distinctive. While many education financing models focus primarily on financial capital, Wedu invests equally in women’s capability, community, and confidence. Wedu’s four leadership capitals (Decisional, Dream, Social, and Financial) together, are what enable women to translate opportunity into long-term leadership and impact.

This theme continued during the Blended Finance Decisionmakers Roundtable in Bali on 23 May 2026, where leaders from government, finance, philanthropy, academia, and development institutions explored how catalytic capital can address some of Indonesia’s most pressing challenges, from climate resilience and biodiversity protection to financial inclusion, health, and education. While much of the conversation focused on mobilising private investment at scale, I was struck by how often discussions returned to less tangible foundations of success.

Alongside capital, infrastructure, and policy, participants repeatedly emphasised the importance of trust: trust in institutions, trust in governance, and trust in communities.

For Wedu, these conversations reaffirmed an important belief. Expanding access to education is not only about unlocking financial opportunity for women; it is equally about strengthening the capabilities, communities, and confidence that allow women leaders to translate opportunity into lasting impact.

While financial capital may open doors, it is human capital, social capital, and trust that enable women, institutions, and economies to thrive.

In an increasingly complex world, these may be the most valuable forms of capital we can cultivate.