Despite their potential to drive economic growth in the Caribbean, women-owned or led micro, small and medium enterprises (WMSMEs) face barriers that create a significant financing gap, hampering their ability to scale and build economic resilience. Similar disparities in access to finance are found globally and are rooted in issues such as traditional banking models, restrictive collateral requirements and […]
The Investment Climate Reform (ICR) Facility works with public and private organisations in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to improve their investment climate so that the private sector can thrive, create decent jobs and contribute to sustainable economic transformation. This report reflects the activities of the ICR Facility from December 2019 through August 2025, […]
Rethinking Regulation to Enhance the Impact of DFIs in Southern Africa Development Finance institutions (DFIs) play a vital role in addressing market failures and delivering public policy objectives. They drive sustainable investment, fund infrastructure projects and fill financing gaps overlooked by the private sector. But what if the regulations that govern DFIs prevent them from […]
The ICR Facility conducted a study for the Caribbean Development Bank to reduce the research gap in the Caribbean MSME sector, enhance the understanding of the needs and opportunities for Women-led MSMEs (WMSMEs) to increase their access to finance and identify measures to unlock investments. Find the summarised findings in this report. Read the […]
This leaflet provides you with a short overview of the ICR Facility’s approach to Access to Finance and how we put that in practice through a selection of interventions. The leaflet shares key lessons for practitioners and an overview of our reports on this subject. Discover other leaflets from this Series: Public-Private Dialogue […]
Across ACP countries, access to finance remains a major barrier for women-owned SMEs – often due to limited access to traditional forms of collateral. This study explores how Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) are increasingly using alternative forms of collateral, such as movable assets, receivables, and warehouse receipts. While these tools have not yet been deployed with […]
Women’s economic empowerment is key to ensuring that women not only enjoy equal rights and liberties but also, that they are able to contribute to a nation’s socio- economic progress. Beyond the subject of social justice, women’s economic empowerment is also recognised as a critical driver of sustainable economic growth When women are […]
This gender inclusive access to finance checklist has been designed to guide the development and implementation of gender-sensitive access to finance programmes for Women-owned Enterprises. It is divided into the following key areas: Design, Promotion, Delivery, and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E). Each section contains specific questions that can be answered with “Yes” or “No,” allowing […]
We are excited to introduce our new series, DFI Insights, a collection of concise, actionable briefs designed to equip professionals and organizations with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions in the field of development finance. The DFI Insights series distills complex topics into accessible formats, allowing you to quickly grasp the essentials and […]
Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) have a key role to play in promoting gender responsive finance and women’s economic empowerment (WEE). While the initiatives of multilateral banks are well-documented and communicated via events and publications, visibility of the efforts of national and sub-regional DFIs on this topic is low. Gender finance is not commonly highlighted on their websites […]
Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) have a key role to play in promoting gender responsive finance and women’s economic empowerment (WEE). While the initiatives of multilateral banks are well-documented and communicated via events and publications, such as 2021’s “Public Development Banks Driving Gender Equality: an Overview of Practices and Measurement Frameworks” by UNWOMEN and the Agence […]
The honour loans mechanism is a multidimensional one combining financing free of interest or requirement for securities or guarantees, with support to entrepreneurs. It has several benefits for entrepreneurs: Firstly, it finances their development, serving as seed funds and strengthening their project’s equity. It can therefore create financial leverage with microcredit or banking loans. Secondly, it can help […]
