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Access to finance for women-owned and led MSMEs in the Caribbean
ICReports
Women's Economic Empowerment
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 […]
Regions:
Annual Report 2024-2025
Annual Report
Business Regulation and Policy
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, […]
Topics:
Rethinking Regulation to Enhance the Impact of DFIs in Southern Africa
ICR Stories
Public Private Dialogue
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 […]
Regions:
Flagship Study: Access to Finance for Women-led MSMEs in the Caribbean
ICReports
Women's Economic Empowerment
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 […]
Language:
English
ICR 2020-2025 wrapped: Access to Finance
ICReports
Access to Finance
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 […]
How DFIs in ACP Countries Use Alternative Collateral: Trends and Impact on Access to Finance for Women-Owned SMEs
ICReports
Access to Finance
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 […]
Language:
English
Enhancing Access to Finance for Women-Owned Enterprises
ICReports
Access to Finance
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 […]
Gender Inclusive Access to Finance Checklist
ICReports
Women's Economic Empowerment
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 […]
DFI Insights: Training Briefs
Training
Women's Economic Empowerment
Our new series, DFI Insights, a collection of concise, actionable briefs designed to equip professionals and organisations 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 apply them to your […]
Trends in Gender Finance in DFIs in Caribbean and Pacific Region
Past Events
Investment Policy
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 […]
Topics:
Language:
English
Trends in Gender Finance in ACP Development Finance Institutions: Overview and Selected Examples
ICReports
Access to Finance
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 […]
Honour Loans: A Comprehensive Mechanism to Foster Development by Supporting MSMEs
ICReports
Business Regulation and Policy
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 […]
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