This editorial by Robino and Jackson examines the current state and future directions of gender lens investing (GLI) in emerging markets, highlighting persistent challenges related to fragmentation, scale, and Northern-driven capital flows. Introducing a multidisciplinary special issue, the article advances five priority areas for strengthening GLI: clarifying its role and scope, elevating the care economy, improving implementation strategies, supporting Southern- and women-led capital mobilization, and examining links between gender and firm performance. It calls for future GLI research and practice to be Southern-directed, methodologically plural, grounded in open data, and actionable in real time.