This study is part of the Women Accelerating Vibrant Enterprises in Southeast Asia and the Pacific (WAVES) program of the Asian Development Bank, supported by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi). It examines how policy, market practices, products, and data shape women entrepreneurs’ access to finance—drawing on interviews with financial institutions and stakeholders, portfolio reviews, and secondary data.
The report highlights gaps in sex-disaggregated data and credit products, limited collateral alternatives, and uneven outreach to women-owned MSMEs, and sets out practical actions for regulators and financial institutions, including clearer reporting standards, targeted credit and cash-flow–based lending, high-tech/high-touch distribution, and outcome-focused KPIs.
Caterina Meloni of Connecting Founders supported Palladium Europe in the preparation of this study.
