Banking on Women

IFC’s Banking on Women business has helped catalyze financial services for women and women-owned micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in emerging markets. Cumulatively since 2012, IFC has mobilized and invested more than $11 billion in emerging market financial institutions in 84 countries to finance women and women-owned MSMEs. 

Partnering with local financial institutions around the world, IFC has launched landmark gender bonds from Turkey to Ecuador to Tanzania, expanded access to MSME finance in Uzbekistan and the Philippines, supported access to trade finance in Burkina Faso and Vietnam, and works with clients globally to design tailored financial products and services.

 Through Banking on Women, IFC:

• Invests in emerging market financial institutions to build shareholder value, expand opportunities, and develop tailored value propositions for women customers and women-led businesses in areas such as household and MSME finance, housing finance and insurance, and gender-lens capital markets finance;
• Provides advisory expertise in areas such as strategic planning, customer segmentation, value proposition design, market positioning, credit and risk analysis, product positioning and staff training to help financial institutions profitably serve women customers. This also includes working with financial institutions to address demand-side barriers through non-financial services such as digital and in-person training platforms, business coaching, and mentorship services for customers;
• Originates action-oriented market research and data analysis for financial institutions. For example, see the latest data on NPL ratios for MSME and retail loans.