Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi)

As an implementing partner of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) IFC uses We-Fi funds to support private sector clients with investment and advisory services to expand financial services and market access for women-owned/led firms, as well as increasing the capacity of women entrepreneurs to run high-growth businesses.

The We-Fi program is a collaborative partnership among 14 governments that have made financial contributions, six multilateral development banks that serve as implementing partners, and other public and private stakeholders. We-Fi was formally established in October 2017 as a Financial Intermediary Fund hosted by the World Bank. 

The We-Fi Secretariat granted IFC a total of $69.15 million to provide investment and advisory support, complemented by global research to support WSMEs across three funding rounds:

Round I. Creating finance and markets for all (US$49.4 million)
Round I aims to (i) champion g champion investments through funds, incubators, and accelerators that expand access to capital for women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses; (ii) support financial institutions with blended finance investments to reach more WSMEs and provide advisory services to design and deploy solutions for women entrepreneurs and; (iii) integrate WSMEs into domestic and international value chains and producer networks.

Note: IFC did not receive funding from We-Fi for Round II

Round III. Enhancing seed capital, technology, and value chain solutions for WSMEs (US$8.8 million)
Round III aims to: (i) increase access equity financing for women-led startups and increase ability for startups to scale operations; (ii) provide tailored financial services to WSMEs through fintech companies and other financial intermediaries; and (iii) enhance seed capital, technology and value chain solutions for WSMEs.

Round IV. Leveraging Finance, Data and Technology Solutions to Grow Women Entrepreneurs (US$10.95 million)
Round IV helps to enable IFC to promote capacity to collect sex-disaggregated data in the financial sector as well as increase access to finance for WSMEs.

The IFC We-Fi program is implemented under three thematic pillars as follows: 

1. Strengthening Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
   Fostering an inclusive legal, regulatory, and policy framework for WSMEs; supporting women entrepreneurs at every stage of growth through training, mentoring, and peer networks; champion investments through funds, incubators, and accelerators that expand access to capital for women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses.
2. Expanding Financial Services
   Supporting banks, fintechs, and insurance companies with blended finance investments to reach more WSMEs; providing advisory services to design and deploy products and services for women entrepreneurs
3. Improving Market Access
   Integrating WSMEs into domestic and international value chains and producer networks; increasing procurement opportunities for WSMEs