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. Stay tuned for the upcoming flagship study!
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.
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 […]
The ICR Facility provided technical assistance to the Tanzania Agriculture Development Bank (TADB) in response to a proposal submitted by the bank for support in increasing its outreach to women and youth. TADB is a state-owned development finance institution (DFI) which was launched in 2015. The bank aims to catalyse access to finance to smallholder […]
Executive Summary Access to finance is amongst the main challenges faced by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in creating and growing their business in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. Meanwhile, crowdfunding is disrupting the financial services industry by democratising access to capital for individuals and businesses and revolutionising the way they interact with […]
Many ACP countries are highly vulnerable to climate change and yet face shortfalls in funding for adaptation. Engaging the private sector and mobilising its investment is therefore vital to deliver climate adaptation in these countries. ACP countries typically have weak investment climates, however, hindering the private sector from playing a role in climate adaptation and […]
