Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Finance:
Women-owned Business in India
A Research Re p o rt o n O p p o rtu n i ti es, C ha lle ng e s, a nd t he Wa y For wa r d ( D e c em ber, 2013)
In Partnership with the
Government of Japan
IFC’s Gender Secretariat aims to strengthen private sector development by focusing on the role of women as
business leaders, entrepreneurs, employees, consumers, and economic stakeholders.
This approach is good for our clients and good for business overall. It is also fundamental if economic development
activities are to yield sustainable, widespread benefits in emerging markets.
In this regard, IFC works with corporations, financial institutions, government departments, and regulators, as well
as other industry players. We also collaborate with business associations, commercial mediation bodies, research
groups, and other partners in development.
The study was conducted and written for the International Finance Corporation (IFC) by MicroSave Private
Limited
IFC disclaimer:
This publication may contain advice, opinions, and statements of various information providers and content
providers. IFC does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement or other
information provided by any information provider or content provider, or any user of this publication or other
person or entity.
Cover photo: Dilip Banerjee/IFC
Table of contents
Finance for Women-Owned Enterprises: An Unexplored Arena����������������������������������������������7
Executive Summary�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������9
1. Women-owned enterprises in India��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������11
1.1 Micro, small, and medium enterprises���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������12
1.2 Women-owned micro, small and medium enterprises�������������������������������������������������������������������������13
2. Financing demand, supply, and gap analysis��������������������������������������������������������������������������19
2.1 Estimating demand for financing of women-owned businesses��������������������������������������������������������20
2.2 Supply of finance to women-owned businesses����������������������������������������������������������������������������������21
2.3 Financing programs for women entrepreneurs������������������������������������������������������������������������������������21
2.3.1 Government schemes������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������21
2.3.2 Finance provided by commercial banks�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������22
2.3.3 Microfinance��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������25
2.4 Current demand-supply gap in access to finance to women-owned MSMEs������������������������������������26
3. Global best practices for women-owned enterprise financing��������������������������������������27
3.1 Commercial banks providing tailored financial solutions to women-owned MSMEs�����������������������28
3.1.1 Best practices of commercial banks from developed economies���������������������������������������������28
3.1.2 Best practices of commercial banks from emerging economies�����������������������������������������������30
3.2 Finance for women-owned businesses: A key focus for development finance institutions�������������33
3.3 Equity financing���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������34
4. The way forward�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������35
4.1 Finance for women-owned MSMEs - Business case for financial institutions������������������������������������36
4.2 Key recommendations����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������37
3 Women-owned Business in India
Annexure 1: Estimation approach��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������41
Approach to calculate the financing gap����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 42
Annexure 2: Case Study����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������45
Increasing access to finance for women entrepreneurs in Lebanon�������������������������������������������������������������� 45
Annexure 3: References����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������47
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 4
List of tables
Table 1 Definition of micro, small, and medium enterprises based on investment�����������������������������������12
Table 2 MSMEs’ access to finance �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������13
Table 3 Classification of women-owned MSMEs������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������14
Table 4 Geographical distribution of women-owned MSMEs���������������������������������������������������������������������14
Table 5 Access to finance of women-owned enterprises�����������������������������������������������������������������������������15
Table 6 Demand for financing from women-owned MSMEs����������������������������������������������������������������������15
Table 7 Demand and supply side constraints to access finance for women entrepreneurs to ����������������16
Table 8 Financing requirements of women-owned MSMEs������������������������������������������������������������������������20
Table 9 Supply of finance to women-owned MSMEs by different institutions�����������������������������������������21
Table 10 Government scheme for women-owned MSMEs��������������������������������������������������������������������������22
Table 11 Public sector banks’ schemes for women-owned MSMEs������������������������������������������������������������23
Table 12 Finance demand, supply, and gap for women-owned MSMEs����������������������������������������������������26
Table 13 Estimated average financing needs of women-owned MSMEs���������������������������������������������������43
Table 14 Estimated working capital financing demand by women-owned MSMEs����������������������������������43
Table 15 Estimated asset financing and investment demand by women-owned MSMEs������������������������43
Table 16 Estimated total financing demand by women-owned MSMEs����������������������������������������������������44
5 Women-owned Business in India
Abbreviations
BDS Business development services
CGTMSE Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises
CGTSI Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Small Industries
DFIs Development financial institutions
EBRD European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
EDP Entrepreneurship development program
FIs Financial institutions
GDP Gross domestic product
GOWE Growth Oriented Women Entrepreneurs
ILO International Labour Organization
KCB Kenya Commercial Bank
MFIs Microfinance institutions
MFW Marketing Fund for Women
MSMED Micro, small and medium enterprise development
MSMEs Micro, small, and medium enterprises
NABARD National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
NBFCs Non-banking financial corporations
NFS Non-financial services
NGO Non-governmental organisation
PNB Punjab National Bank
RBI Reserve Bank of India
SADC South African Development Community
SHG Self-help group
SHG Self-help group
SIDBI Small Industries Development Bank of India
SME Small and medium enterprises
SSE Small-scale enterprises
SSI Small-scale industries
TREAD Trade-related entrepreneurship assistance and development
WEDI Women Enterprise Development Initiative
WIB Women in Business
WIPP Women Impacting Public Policy
WOSB Women-Owned Small Business
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 6
Finance for Women-Owned Enterprises:
An Unexplored Arena
Lending to women-owned micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as a distinct segment is still unexplored when
compared to lending to MSMEs in India. Due to a lack of segmental focus and, perhaps, due to a higher perception of risk,
formal financial institutions have made little effort to better understand this segment. There is a lack of awareness among
bankers of the potential business opportunity presented by this segment. One reason for this is the lack of data that would
help present a business case to target this emerging sector. In cases where formal institutions have created women-MSME
targeted credit schemes, lack of awareness and limited outreach (especially in rural areas) has meant that the impact is limited.
IFC’s work in this area aims to (a) build awareness about opportunities in access to finance for women-owned businesses;
(b) demonstrate commercial viability of offering financial services to this sub-segment; and (c) strengthen capacity of the
financial sector to offer targeted financial services to women entrepreneurs.
As part of its intervention in this sector, IFC organized a roundtable with representatives from banks, non-banking financial
institutions, and industry associations to understand perspectives and discuss financial access for women-owned businesses.
The discussion began to build awareness of the opportunities in the women entrepreneurs’ segment for financial institutions,
and best practices involved.
This report aims to assess the gap in demand and supply of finance, highlight the opportunity in serving women
entrepreneurs, and catalogue initiatives taken by financial institutions in access to finance for women-owned businesses in
India. The report presents the findings of a scoping study based on secondary research and primary interviews, together with
key themes of the roundtable discussion, and recommends potential interventions by financial institutions to address the lack
of access to formal finance for women-owned businesses in India.
7 Women-owned Business in India
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 8
Executive summary
Women entrepreneurs make a significant contribution to the Indian economy. There are nearly three million micro, small,
and medium enterprises with full or partial female ownership.
Around 78 percent of women-owned businesses operate in the services sector.
Although, their financing requirements are quite similar, data indicates that women entrepreneurs have lower access to
finance from formal financing sources when compared with male entrepreneurs (demand-supply gap for women-owned
enterprises is estimated at 86 percent compared with men-owned enterprises at 72 percent). One of the main reasons for
this is the high proportion of women-owned enterprises in the services segment[1] and the need for male family members to
support loan applications.
The total finance requirement of women-owned MSMEs in 2012 was around Indian rupees 8.68 trillion ($158 billion).
Within the segment, small enterprises led the demand for financing: around Indian rupees 6.42 trillion ($116 billion),
approximately 74 percent of the total requirement. This was mostly due to unmet working capital and investment finance
needs. Micro enterprises with a requirement of Indian rupees 2.05 trillion ($37 billion), accounted for 24 percent. Most of
this requirement was largely focused around working capital needs. Women-owned medium-scale enterprises, which account
for 0.01 percent of the total MSME sector had finance requirements of around Indian rupees 0.21 trillion ($4 billion), about
2 percent of the total requirement.
The total supply of formal finance to women-owned MSMEs in 2012 is around Indian rupees 2.31 trillion ($42 billion).
This resulted in a finance gap of Indian rupees 6.37 trillion ($116 million), or 73 percent of total demand.
The global experience of banks such as Westpac in Australia, Wells Fargo in the United States, and Royal Bank of Scotland
clearly indicates that financial institutions can proactively and profitably engage with women entrepreneurs as clients to
bridge funding gaps. Financial institutions that have created specific approaches for women entrepreneurs as part of their
[1] Banks have the general perception that financing of the services sector is more challenging due to a lack of readily available financial benchmarks and collateral, as
opposed to those available for manufacturing sector enterprises
9 Women-owned Business in India
Executive Summary
overall SME strategies have seen an increase in the number of women clients, both as entrepreneurs and as consumers.
Overall, it was noticed that women borrowers have stronger repayment track records. Gender disaggregated data from banks
indicates that non-performing loans are 30 to 50 percent lower in women-owned businesses. Also, women-owned MSMEs
present greater potential for cross sales. Research[2] indicates that they are likely to access two to three times more products
when compared with male entrepreneurs. This roughly makes them twice as profitable for banks as a consumer segment.
Financial institutions can tap this profitable segment with products and services tailored to the needs of women-owned
MSMEs. However, financial institutions will need to adapt due to a number of reasons. First, women entrepreneurs are
predominantly in the services sector, while the majority of credit extended by banks has historically been to manufacturing-
based enterprises. Second, banks rely heavily on collateral to give credit, which is a constraint for women-owned services
enterprises. Third, there is also a need to address some of the more obvious barriers that prevent women entrepreneurs from
approaching financial institutions, such as a lack of women relationship managers and the need for support from a male
family member to access credit. Finally, financial institutions should consider options such as advisory desks at selected bank
branches to offer information on products and services tailored to women-owned enterprises. Providing non-financial services
(NFS) and training, along with access to financial products, will offer holistic growth opportunities to women entrepreneurs.
This report takes a look at the state of access to finance for small women entrepreneurs and how the issue could be addressed.
Chapter 1 highlights the key characteristics of women-owned businesses and discusses the major issues confronting women-
owned MSME entrepreneurs. It focuses on lack of financing as a barrier to growth and success. The subsequent two chapters
focus on assessing market opportunities by estimating demand-supply gap in access to finance for women entrepreneurs
(chapter 2) and details global best practices in financing women-owned enterprises (chapter 3). The report concludes by
presenting the business case for financing women-owned MSME finance and outlines recommendations for financial
institutions to address the lack of access to formal finance for women-owned businesses in India (chapter 4).
[2] Banking to the female economy: Global banking alliance for women, interview with Inez Murray, CEO for Global banking alliance for women
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 10
1
Women-owned
enterprises in India
11 Women-owned Business in India
Chapter one
1. Women-owned enterprises in India
1.1 Micro, small and medium enterprises
India’s growth story in the past decade has seen rapid industrial progress as well as exponential growth of the services
sector. The micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) sector played a significant role in this through innovation,
diversification, and employment generation. An estimated 29.8 million MSMEs in India[3] contribute 11.5 percent of
gross domestic product (GDP), 45 percent of industrial output, 40 percent of exports, and employ nearly 69 million
people.
MSMEs in India are broadly divided into two classes according to the provisions of the MSME Development (MSMED)
Act, 2006. These are:
●● Manufacturing enterprises engaged in the manufacturing or production of goods pertaining to any industry specified
in the first schedule of the Industries Development and Regulation Act, 1951, defined in terms of investment in plant
and machinery.
●● Service enterprises engaged in providing or rendering of services defined in terms of investment in equipment.
The segmentation into micro, small, and medium is based on investment in plant and machinery (in case of
manufacturing) or in equipment (in case of services). This is detailed in table 1.
Table 1 Definition of micro, small, and medium enterprises based on investment
Manufacturing (investment in plant and machinery) Service (investment in equipment)
Type
Indian rupees million ($ thousand) Indian rupees million ($ thousand)
Micro Up to 2.5 (Up to 45.5) Up to 1.0 (Up to 18.2)
Small 2.5 – 50.0 (45.5- 909.1) 1.0 – 20.0 (18.2 – 363.6)
Medium 50.0 – 100.0 (909.1 -1,818.2) 20.0 – 50.0 (363.6- 909.1)
[3] Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Finance in India, A Research Study on Needs, Gaps and Way Forward (November, 2012), IFC
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 12
Women-owned
enterprises in India
Figure 1 displays the composition of micro, small, and medium enterprises within the MSME sector.
0.3 percent (~ 90
Medium thousand enterprises)
Enterprises
Small Enterprises 4.70 percent (~ 1.4
million enterprises)
Micro Enterprises 95.0% percent (~ 28.4
million enterprises)
Figure 1 Classification of MSMEs – size
Ninety-four percent[4] of micro, small, and medium enterprises operate without formal licences or registration. Approximately
29 percent[5] belong to the manufacturing sector. MSMEs in the services sector, comprising of the remaining 71 percent,
mostly operate in conventional transaction-based industries.
Access to finance is a key constraint to growth of the MSME sector in India. A significant proportion of financing is sourced
from informal sources such as moneylenders. The funding sources used by various MSMEs are given in table 2.
Table 2 MSMEs’ access to finance [6]
Funding source Share (percent)
Formal financial sources 21.50
Self-equity 3.30
Informal sources 75.00
1.2 Women-owned micro, small, and medium enterprises[7]
Around 3.01 million women-owned enterprises represent about 10 percent of all MSMEs in the country. Collectively,
they contribute 3.09 percent of industrial output and employ over 8 million people. Approximately 78 percent of women
enterprises belong to the services sector. Women entrepreneurship is largely skewed towards smaller sized firms, as almost 98
percent of women-owned businesses are micro-enterprises. Approximately 90 percent of women-owned enterprises are in
the informal sector. The classification of women-owned businesses is shown in table 3, while table 4 shows the geographical
location of women-owned MSMEs across India.
[4] Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Finance in India, A Research Study on Needs, Gaps and Way Forward (November, 2012), IFC.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] All data in this section from Quick Results Fourth All India Census of MSMEs 2006-07; Annual Report of Ministry of MSME, 2011-12 projected,
MicroSave Analysis
13 Women-owned Business in India
Chapter one
Table 3 Classification of women-owned MSMEs
Total versus
Total versus all women-owned
Category Registered Unregistered Total all MSMEs
businesses (percent)
(percent)
Micro 274,059 2,655,318 2,929,377 97.62 9.40
Small 40,722 30, 414 71,136 2.37 0.23
Medium 276 - 276 0.01 0.01
Total 315,057 2,685,732 3,000,789 100.00 10.25
Table 4 Geographical distribution of women-owned MSMEs
Prevalence of State-wise Number of states/
Combined
women-owned Share union territories States/union territories
share (percent)
businesses (percent) (#)
High >10.00 4 Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal 51.9
Medium 5.00-10.00 2 Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh 11.5
Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttar
Low 2.00-4.99 7 26.7
Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha
Very Low <1.99 20 Rest of India 9.9
As with the rest of the sector, access to finance is the biggest barrier[8] to growth and development for women-owned
MSMEs. As a result, there continues to be a heavy reliance on informal sources of finance for seed capital and working capital
requirements. The funding sources for women-owned MSMEs are listed in Table 5.
[8] Analytical paper on Gender and Access to Finance, Sushma Narain, World Bank, 2008
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 14
Women-owned
enterprises in India
Table 5 Access to finance[9] of women-owned enterprises
Share
Funding source
(percent)
Formal financial sources 3.1
Semi-formal financial sources 4.8
Self, family, friends or informal
92.1
sources
This study estimates that the total financing needs of women-owned micro, small, and medium enterprises are approximately
Indian rupees 8.68 trillion ($158 billion). Table 6 shows the demand for finances from women-owned enterprises in both
formal and informal sectors.
Table 6 Demand for financing from women-owned MSMEs
Formal Sector Informal Sector
Financing demand Financing demand
Number of units (in Number of units (in
Type Indian rupees trillion Indian rupees trillion
thousands) thousands)
($ billion) ($ billion)
Micro 274.06 0.19 (3.49) 2,655.32 1.86 (33.86)
Small 47.53 3.91 (71.16) 30.41 2.50 (45.54)
Medium 0.28 0.21 (3.75) 0.00 0.00 (0.00)
Total 321.86 4.31 (78.40) 2,685.73 4.37 (79.40)
[9] State Level Bankers Committee Report for 2012 for all the states, Analysis in the study
15 Women-owned Business in India
Chapter one
Although the financing needs for women-owned enterprises are not radically different from the needs of male-owned enterprises,
the level of financial exclusion is higher due to a combination of factors. Also, the social status of women and prevalent social
norms in India influence perceptions of financial institutions and the ability of women entrepreneurs to access finance. The key
demand and supply side constraints specific to women entrepreneurs’ ability to access finance are outlined in table 7.
Table 7 Demand and supply side constraints to access finance for women entrepreneurs
DEMAND SIDE SUPPLY SIDE
●● Perception of higher risk profile in the absence of collateral security
●● Limited financial awareness and guarantee/support by male family member: Banks generally consider
and understanding of financial women-owned enterprises as a high-risk sub-segment as these enterprises
products/ services: Women operate mostly in the informal sector and are usually micro in scale. Further,
lack knowledge about available absence of collateral causes banks to avoid this sub-segment. Some bankers
finance options, advantages and believe lending to unmarried women could be risky. The event of marriage
disadvantages, and costs of various could lead to change of locality or profession, and a possibility of default.
options, benefits of borrowing, ●● No real attempt to tailor products/services to suit the needs of the
etc. This lack of knowledge woman entrepreneur: Banks often rely on personal profiles and track
generates reluctance to access records while reviewing loan applications. In the case of women, these
finance from formal channels. are often not strong enough or relevant for banking needs as women
●● Lack of adequate collateral: entrepreneurs often lack proper records / documents. There is little effort
Access to collateral remains a by financial institutions to understand this sub-segment and design tailored
key issue, especially for women financial products or processes.
entrepreneurs, given social ●● Perception that bank branches are unwelcoming to women customers:
and legal restrictions around One common criticism expressed by women entrepreneurs is that bank
inheritance and land ownership branches are not conducive due to a disproportionately low number of
rights. Even if a woman legally women relationship officers (female employees constitute less than 20
owns an asset, male members of percent of the workforce in banks). In addition, no specific efforts are made
the family will often hold the title to build a more conducive environment to attract walk-ins by women
deed. customers and/or to provide advisory services to supplement financial
services. Both strategies have had significant success in other countries.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 16
DEMAND SIDE SUPPLY SIDE
●● Need for support from male
family members: Several banks
●● High transaction costs given the small size of women-owned MSME
require either the husband’s or
firms: Although high transaction costs are a well-known barrier for finance
father’s (in case of unmarried
for the MSME segment, this is further intensified for women-owned
women) signature to approve
businesses, which are usually very small and have lower than average finance
loan applications for women
requirements. It is estimated that average finance needs of men-owned
borrowers, which can sometimes
enterprises are about 2.4 times that of women-owned enterprises. The cost of
act as a deterrent.
administering and servicing small loans to women entrepreneurs is relatively
●● Lack of confidence or high due to similar processing and documentation requirements for
hesitation to approach enterprises regardless of size. Additionally, the credit risk assessment process,
financial institutions: Women which is generally complex, is the same for small or large loans. Thus, banks
entrepreneurs tend to have tend to focus on clients with larger loan demands.
less experience with banking
●● Lack of reliable information about financial management makes
institutions and could feel
the women entrepreneurs less attractive to financiers: Due to lack of
intimidated to approach a
knowledge of financial management, women-owned enterprises do not
bank. Poor financial literacy
always maintain the necessary financial documents in the required format,
often translates into inadequate
which make them less attractive to financial institutions.
accounting and financial
management functions.
17 Women-owned Business in India
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 18
2
Financing demand-supply
and gap analysis
Chapter two
2. Financing demand-supply and gap analysis
2.1 Estimating demand for financing for women-owned businesses
Based on the 4th MSME Survey Census of Registered and Unregistered MSMEs, 2006 and the 2011-12 report of the Ministry
of MSME, there are 321,000 registered and 2.69 million unregistered women-owned MSMEs in India. These 3.01 million
enterprises were segmented into micro, small, and medium enterprises. The financing demand for each of these comprises
of working capital needs, financing of long-term assets, and investment demand. The total combined demand for finance by
women-owned MSMEs, using 2012 data as a base, is approximately Indian rupees 8.68 trillion ($158 billion), which includes
both debt and equity. A detailed explanation of the methodology used to arrive at these estimates is included in Annexure 1.
The small enterprises segment leads the demand for financing, followed by micro and medium enterprises. The total debt
required by women-owned MSMEs is estimated at Indian rupees 6.10 trillion ($111 billion) and equity at Indian rupees 2.58
trillion ($47 billion). Financing requirements by segment and the split between debt and equity by segment, is provided in
table 8.
Table 8 Financing requirements of women-owned MSMEs
Total versus
all women- Total demand Demand Debt demand in Equity demand
owned in Indian rupees Share Indian rupees trillion in Indian rupees
businesses trillion ($ billion) (percent) ($ billion) trillion ($ billion)
(percent)
Micro 97.62 2.05 (37.36) 24 1.64 (29.89) 0.41 (7.47)
Small 2.37 6.42 (116.70) 74 4.31 (78.44) 2.10 (38.26)
Medium 0.01 0.21 (3.75) 2 0.14 (2.50) 0.07 (1.25)
TOTAL 100.00 8.68 (157.80) 100 6.10 (110.82) 2.58 (46.98)
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 20
Financing demand-supply
and gap analysis
2.2 Supply of finance to women-owned businesses
Total formal finance extended to women-owned MSMEs in 2012[10] was around Indian rupees 2.31 trillion ($42 billion).
This credit supply originated from various types of financial institutions such as public sector banks, non-banking financial
corporations, and self-help group-bank linkage programs. A breakdown of types of institutions financing women-owned
MSMEs is given in table 9.
Table 9 Supply of finance to women-owned MSMEs by different institutions
Financing supply share
Source
(percent)
Public sector banks through microcredit 30
Public sector banks to small scale industries 38
Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana 2
Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana 1
Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana 4
Private sector banks 19
Foreign banks 5
2.3 Financing programs for women entrepreneurs
The government of India encourages greater financial sector participation for women-owned MSMEs to address the significant
finance gap in this sub-sector.
2.3.1 Government schemes
The government has an ambitious 14-point action plan for public sector banks to increase women’s access to bank finance,
including MSME finance. It set a target of 5 percent aggregate public sector bank lending to women and instructed the central
bank to track performances. Following this, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in 2000 asked public sector banks to report credit
extended to women. This resulted in an increase of loans to women from 2.36 percent in 2001 to 5 percent of total lending in
2007. Aggregate net bank credit to women increased to 6.3 percent in 2009, with 25 banks reaching targets.
Apart from MSME-specific initiatives, India’s 11th five-year plan encourages ownership rights for women by offering incentives
for registration of property. Women homebuyers benefit from tax exemptions, lower stamp duties, and easier availability of
home loans. This could help women who own MSMEs to get greater access to collateral and, in turn, access business finance.
The MSME ministry has flagged the promotion of women-led enterprises as a key priority area. In 2008, the ministry launched
the government of India’s only financing scheme for women entrepreneurs. However, lack of awareness among target clients
led to low uptake of this scheme. In 2012[11], loans of Indian rupees 7.7 million ($140,000) were disbursed against a target of
Indian rupees 38 million ($700,000).Table 10 outlines the key details of the scheme.
[10] Annual Report, Ministry of Finance, 2012
[11] Annual Report, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises 2012
21 Women-owned Business in India
Chapter two
Table 10 Government scheme for women-owned MSMEs
Scheme Implementing Agency Details Features
Objective is to provide Credit: 30 percent of total project cost
Trade Related better access to finance. as government grant, 70 percent by the
Entrepreneurship Ministry of Micro, non-governmental appraising institution
Assistance and Small and Medium organizations to be the
Development (TREAD) Enterprises implementing agencies Training and development: Indian
scheme for women by lending funds to rupees 100,000 for the NGO
entrepreneurs conducting the program
The government plans to set up India’s first all-women’s public sector bank -- the Bharatiya Mahila Bank -- by the end of
2013. The bank targets to have 25 branches by March, 2014. This bank will focus on the banking needs of women and
promote their economic empowerment. The government has approved Indian rupees 10 billion ($181 million) as seed capital
for this bank. It gave an in-principal approval for the bank in June 2013.
2.3.2 Finance provided by commercial banks
Public sector banks lead in extending finance to women-owned MSMEs. Key public sector bank programs for women-owned
MSMEs are outlined in table 11.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 22
Financing demand-supply
and gap analysis
Table 11 Public sector banks’ schemes for women-owned MSMEs
Scheme Sponsoring bank Details Products
ALEAP and Andhra Bank Credit (Fund-based and/or Credit facility up to Indian rupees 10 million
CGTSI - non-fund-based) for single ($181,818) for manufacturing and service
Mutual Credit eligible borrowers in the micro sectors but excluding retail trade; without
Guarantee and small enterprise sector. collateral security or third party guarantee for a
Scheme for tenure of five years.
Women
Akshaya Mahila Bank of Baroda Financial assistance for Movable and immovable asset-based term loans
Arthik Sahay professional, self-employed and working capital limits.
Yojna women and for women in
retail trade and agriculture.
Cent Kalyani Central Bank Financial assistance to women Loans up to Indian rupees 10 million
entrepreneurs for economic ($181,818) without any collateral security or
pursuits in various sectors. third party guarantee.
Dena Shakti Dena Bank Finance for women Term loans and working capital limits with a
Scheme for entrepreneurs in agriculture ceiling of Indian rupees 2 million ($36,364)
Women and allied activities, small in the priority sector and housing and Indian
Entrepreneurs enterprises, retail trade, micro rupees 50,000 ($909) under micro credit.
credit, education, and housing.
Schemes for Oriental Bank of For professional and self- For purchase of fixed assets (term loans) and to
professional and Commerce employed women. meet working capital needs.
self-employed
women Maximum Indian rupees 500,000 ($9,091)
including working capital limit of Indian rupees
100,000 ($1,818)
Five to seven year tenure. 15 percent interest on
loans above Indian rupees 25,000 ($455).
Orient Mahila Oriental Bank of For women-owned MSMEs. Loans up to Indian rupees 1 million ($181,818)
Vikas Yojana Commerce without any collateral.
Also, micro credit units provide
doorstep services to women in Margin of 15 to 25 percent.
rural areas.
Up to 2 percent concessions.
No collateral security for small-scale industries
for loans up to Indian rupees 2.50 million
($45,455).
23 Women-owned Business in India
Chapter two
Scheme Sponsoring bank Details Products
Priyadarshini Bank of India For women to set up small, No collateral required for loans up to Indian
Yojana village, and cottage industries. rupees 500,000 ($9000).
Covers payments for
machinery. Interest rates relief from 0.5 percent to 1
percent for small-scale industries.
Udyogini Punjab and Sind Loans on liberal terms for Need based amounts.
Scheme Bank women entrepreneurs in
agriculture, tiny/small-scale Collateral for loans above Indian rupees 25,000.
industries, and retail. Also
Margins of 15 to 25 percent based on quantum
for professional and self-
and purpose of the loan.
employed women.
PNB schemes Punjab National Five schemes for women Interest rates to be relaxed by 0.25 percent in
for women Bank entrepreneurs: non-priority sector advances and 0.50 percent
in priority sector advances.
1) To meet gaps in equity
Margins to be reduced to 10 percent wherever
2) To purchase infrastructure the margin requirement is more than 10
percent.
3) Easier credit to finance
crèches Waiver of 50 percent upfront fee where
applicable.
4) To meet working capital
credit requirements of allied
agricultural activities
5) Margin concessions.
Stree Shakthi State Bank of India For women entrepreneurs Interest concessions of 5 percent based on
Package for (small scale units managed business enterprise for self-employed women
Women by one or more women and SSIs.
Entrepreneurs entrepreneurs) with a stake
of not less than 51 percent. Interest rates lower than applicable.
Entrepreneurs who have
Collateral security waived for loans up to Indian
undergone entrepreneurship
rupees 500,000 ($9091) for industrial units.
development programs
conducted by state-level
agencies or programs co-
sponsored/sponsored by the
bank are eligible.
Marketing Fund Small Industries Provides assistance to Flexible terms and conditions based on past
for Women Development Bank women entrepreneurs and track record and viability of project.
(MFW) of India organisations involved
in marketing products
manufactured by women
entrepreneurs to increase
their reach in domestic and
international markets.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 24
Financing demand-supply
and gap analysis
Scheme Sponsoring bank Details Products
Annapurna State Bank of Supports women entrepreneurs Maximum loan of Indian rupees 50,000.
Scheme for Mysore setting up food catering units. ($9091)
Financing
Women for Composite term loan (50 percent working
Establishing capital).
Food Catering
36-month tenure.
Units
Margin of 10 percent.
Mahila Vikas State Bank of To provide term loan/working Loan from Indian rupees 50,000 to 500,000
Scheme Travancore capital to units promoted ($900 to $9000).
by women entrepreneurs.
Only enterprises owned and Tenure of 60 months, cash credit 12 months.
administered by woman
Margins of 25 percent for term loans and 20
entrepreneurs, having a
percent for cash credit.
minimum financial interest of
51 percent and providing at
least 50 percent of employment
generated to women.
Special Benefits Canara Bank Provides special schemes for Nil margins and no processing fees for loans up
for Women women to Indian rupees 50,000 ($900).
Entrepreneurs
in Micro 10 percent interest rate and no processing fees
and Small for loans from Indian rupees 50,000 to 500,000
Enterprises ($900 to $9000).
Segments
2.3.3 Microfinance
In 2012, the number of microfinance clients in India was 90 million. Of these, nearly 95 percent were women who primarily
accessed loans for income-generating activities. Microfinance loans for seed capital allow women borrowers build credit
habits and become more bankable. Thus, microfinance plays a key role in expanding access to finance for low-income women
aspiring to become entrepreneurs.
However, microfinance is effective in serving the needs of tiny enterprises which do not have as much potential to contribute
to GDP and employment generation when compared with micro, small, and medium enterprises. MSMEs in India are
constrained by microfinance’s mono-product environment, singular delivery model, lack of flexibility, and shorter-tenure
loans with limited amount of credit. In this environment, microfinance is limited to providing working capital to tiny home-
based income generating activities.
Microfinance innovatively addresses the constraints of access to collateral through joint liability mechanisms and a
sophisticated understanding of individual clients’ personal circumstances in the case of individual lending. Another model
of access to finance for women is the self-help group-bank linkage model. Largely promoted by NABARD, the SHG-bank
linkage program was, in 2012, able to link over 9.9 million women with banks and enable access to credit. However, as this is
targeted at low-income women and not at women-owned MSMEs, it caters to the needs of micro entrepreneurs, at best.
25 Assessment of MSME Landscape
Chapter two
Microfinance is widely seen as a valuable tool to expand access to finance and empower women to set up and grow businesses
and become earning members of households. Microfinance has great potential to expand from its current tiny/home
enterprise model to MSMEs run by women. Microfinance institutions have a strong women borrower base and are in a
position to address specific needs of this segment. The unique characteristics of existing microfinance models can be leveraged
to bring more women entrepreneurs into the formal financial sector by building on microfinance credit histories.
A way forward for Indian banks can be based on the example of Exim Bank. With IFC’s help, Exim Bank partnered with
Sero Lease and Finance, a micro-leasing company in Tanzania, to successfully help women graduate from microfinance to the
formal banking sector by facilitating transfer of borrowers’ good credit histories from microfinance institutions to commercial
banks. The program has committed $1 million to target 30,000 women. The program includes training on business
planning, management, and banking services such as the loan application process.
2.4 Current demand-supply gap in access to finance to women-owned MSMEs
The finance gap for women-owned MSMEs is Indian rupees 6.37 trillion ($116 million), or 73 percent of total demand.
Details of the calculation methodology are included in annexure 1. The finance gap by segment is broken down in greater
detail in table 12.
Table 12 Finance demand, supply, and gap for women-owned MSMEs
Total demand Indian rupees Total supply Indian rupees Financing gap Indian rupees Share
trillion ($ billion) trillion ($ billion) trillion ($ billion) (percent)
Micro 2.05 (37.36) 0.76 (13.76) 1.30 (23.58) 20
Small 6.42 (116.70) 1.43 (25.91) 4.99 (90.79) 78
Medium 0.21 (3.75) 0.13 (2.38) 0.08 (1.36) 2
TOTAL 8.68 (157.80) 2.31 (42.05) 6.37 (115.75)
Table 12 shows clearly that women-owned MSMEs present a potential business opportunity for banks and non-banking
financial corporations.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 26
3
Global best practices for women-
owned enterprise financing
27 Assessment of MSME Landscape
Chapter three
3. Global best practices for women-owned enterprise
financing[12]
3.1 Commercial banks providing tailored financial solutions to women-owned MSMEs
3.1.1 Best practices of commercial banks from developed economies
There are several examples of banks in developed economies that have successfully designed and implemented access to
finance programs for women customers. But, three examples stand out - Wells Fargo Bank and American Express from the
United States of America, and Westpac Banking Corporation from Australia.
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo is a diversified American financial services company that leads in financing women-owned businesses. Wells
Fargo recognized and seized the opportunity to tap women-owned businesses in their growth through:
ää Products
●● Tailor-made and customized products: Wells Fargo’s customized products and solutions (such as offering
unsecured credit lines) for women entrepreneurs enabled access to high-quality and affordable finance to
women-owned businesses in the United States. Its Women Business Services Program provides outreach and
education to help women business owners increase access to capital and other financial services.
ää Non-financial services
●● Training and networking opportunities: Wells Fargo collaborates with women’s organisations, such as
the National Association of Women Business Owners, to reach women businesses and provide clients with
research, financial solutions, and business advice resources. The program includes providing financial tools,
research, financial guides, workshops, and seminars.
●● Recognising achievements of women entrepreneurs: Building partnerships with national and regional
organisations and an annual “trailblazer” award to recognize the business achievements and leadership of
women entrepreneurs are also part of the program.
ää Results
●● Since the program was launched in 1995, Wells Fargo has extended credit of more than $38 billion[13] to over
750,000 women entrepreneurs. The bank serves women-owned business with financial services, loans, and
lines of credit including unsecured credit lines of up to $100,000.
[12] This chapter is based on IFC’s October 2011 publication titled Strengthening Access to Finance for Women-Owned SMEs in Developing Countries
[13] Wells Fargo & Company Corporate Social Responsibility Interim Report 2012
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 28
Global best practices
for women-owned
enterprise financing
Westpac Banking Corporation
Westpac Banking Corporation sought to become the “Bank of Choice for Women” by realizing the potential of Australia’s
businesswomen. Since 2002, Westpac has been the only Australian bank to have a dedicated women’s market team.
Westpac is a founding member of the Global Banking Alliance for Women, an organisation of institutions committed to
women in business and women’s wealth creation worldwide. Importantly, Westpac’s is a retail model – not just for women
entrepreneurs, but all women customers. Its value proposition and brand has been built on a liability-based strategy which is
a good model for banks to consider.
ää Products
●● Westpac has a holistic perspective towards women’s banking, addressing a complete spectrum of services from
personal and private to SME and commercial banking.
●● Westpac’s focus on women is embedded into all existing segments, delivery models, products, and
organisational structure. Women are not treated as a separate operational or strategic segment.
●● Internal training across the bank is aimed at lifting the standards of service to women.
ää Non-financial services
●● Capacity building through the Davidson Institute.
●● Outreach and advocacy through social media via its Ruby Connection program.
●● Women Investment Advisory Service Unit specialized in investment planning, education, risk management,
and business services.
●● Developed platforms such as the Ruby Connection, the Learn Lead, and Succeed Program to provide
Australian women entrepreneurs with what they needed the most: business management training and an
opportunity to network among themselves to potentially partner and grow their businesses.
●● Education offered to businesswomen through educational seminars, cash flow workshops, and superannuation
information sessions.
ää Results
●● Westpac disaggregated by gender the portfolios of every section of the bank and conducted research that
enabled it to create a strong value proposition for Australian women business owners.
●● Westpac’s Women in Business program contributed over $2.5 billion to Westpac’s bottom line in 2009. The
bank received national and global sustainability awards, including recognition as one of the world’s most
ethical companies in 2008, 2009, and 2010 by Ethisphere. It is the only Australian bank listed on the 2011
list of Global 100 Most Sustainable Companies, and is recognized by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index as a
leader in the global banking sector.
29 Assessment of MSME Landscape
Chapter three
American Express
American Express, the leading payment card issuer for small businesses in the United States, successfully targets and
promotes women entrepreneurs.
ää Products
●● The American Express OPEN Program enables women-owned enterprises to access a variety of cards
specifically designed to help them manage their day-to-day business activities. This includes business charge
and credit cards that deliver purchasing power, flexibility, rewards, and savings on business services from an
expanded line-up of partners, online tools, and services designed to improve profitability.
●● American Express has also been active in promoting women entrepreneurs’ access to government contracts,
which is traditionally a male dominated area. American Express lobbied for the passing of the Women-
Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal Contract program, which dedicates a percentage of government
contracts in 83 different industries to women. The program creates more federal contracting opportunities
for women-owned small businesses.
ää Non-financial services
●● Women can access information, advice, and guidance from other women entrepreneurs through the OPEN
forum, an online platform that provides cutting-edge tools and insights to help women-owned enterprises
easily monitor everyday operations, from advertising new products to paying vendors.
●● American Express has also partnered with “Count Me In, Make Mine a Million” program to work with its
women clients and help them achieve the million-dollar sales threshold.
●● American Express collaborated with Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), to create the “Give Me
5 Program” to advocate for more federal contracting opportunities for women-owned small businesses.
The program is designed to educate women business owners on how to apply for and secure federal
procurement tenders.
Although these three models have different approaches to financing women entrepreneurs, a common aspect is providing
targeted training and mentoring/networking opportunities to women entrepreneurs as part of the core offering.
3.1.2 Best practices of commercial banks from emerging economies
Banks in some emerging economies have had success with similar women-centric programs. In contrast to programs in
developed economy, however, the focus is on creating products and services to help women-owned MSMEs overcome
the challenges of lack of collateral and start-up capital, and to support them in meeting non-credit needs such as cash
management and insurance, and non-financial services such as training, mentoring, and networking.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 30
Global best practices
for women-owned
enterprise financing
DFCU Bank
DFCU Bank in Uganda, as part of its SME business strategy, created the Women in Business (WIB) Program in 2007 to
assist Ugandan women entrepreneurs grow through access to finance.
ää Products and services
●● Customized financial products such as loans and savings for women entrepreneurs: Since collateral
requirements are a major obstacle for Ugandan women as they have difficulty accessing property, DFCU
created a “land loan” specifically for women. With this, women can take a loan to purchase property that
they can later use as collateral for business loans.
●● Promotes partnerships among clients: To facilitate this, the bank created an investment club, a savings
scheme where women entrepreneurs raise funds together to make future business investments. Investment
club members can also use the amount saved as collateral.
ää Non-financial services
●● Business management and financial awareness training to women entrepreneurs in addition to traditional
credit product offerings.
ää Results
●● The program has financed over $20 million to women entrepreneurs in Uganda.
SME Bank
The SME Bank in Malaysia enhances the capacity of women entrepreneurs to run stronger businesses.
ää Products
●● Financial products adapted to match needs of women entrepreneurs who, in Malaysia, are heavily
concentrated in manufacturing and tourism. SME Bank Malaysia has several packages for the women
entrepreneurs, depending on size and development stage.
ää Non-financial services
●● Incubation system through which the bank provides financing, entrepreneurial guidance, and training. SME
Bank has used its incubation center to encourage women to enhance business skills and grow businesses.
●● Assists clients in marketing and promoting products.
31 Assessment of MSME Landscape
Chapter three
Rawbank
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rawbank partnered with IFC to design and launch its “Women in Business”
program. The program, “Lady’s First” aimed at capturing dynamic and growing women-owned SMEs. IFC provided initial
financing of $1.87 million to support women entrepreneurs. The program included:
ää Products
●● Lending strategy that eases collateral requirements for women entrepreneurs.
ää Non-financial services
●● Training and regular SME banking products for women entrepreneurs.
●● RawConseil – a legal advice desk that provides assistance to women entrepreneurs to register their businesses
and help them navigate through difficult business environment processes such as getting spousal permission to
register a business or open a bank account.
ää Results (by 2011)
●● Rawbank’s active women borrowers grew from three to over 110, their loan portfolio expanded from $200,000
to about $8 million.
●● The bank has over 950 deposit accounts worth over $15 million.
●● Over 500 women-owned SMEs received training and legal advice.
Garanti Bank
Garanti Bank in Turkey borrowed a €50 million ($68 million) facility from European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD to increase access to finance for Turkish women entrepreneurs through its on-going Woman
Entrepreneur’s Support Package. The program aims to increase access to finance for women’s business activities and access to
training. The package includes:
ää Products
●● Special project loans for women-owned SMEs, company insurance.
ää Non-financial services
●● Access to business and financial management training through the bank’s partnerships with local universities.
●● Sponsors the “Woman Entrepreneur of the Year” award in collaboration with Kagider (Turkey Women Business
Association).
ää Results
●● Since the start of the program in 2007, Garanti Bank has lent $250 million to 12,000 women entrepreneurs
and consumers, trained approximately 1,600 participants, and received over 3,000 applications for the Woman
Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 32
Global best practices
for women-owned
enterprise financing
Exim Bank
In Tanzania, Exim Bank became the first financial institution to provide lines of credit to women entrepreneurs running
midsize enterprises when it launched its Women Entrepreneurs Finance Program in 2007. IFC provided a $5 million credit
line to finance the program, and the Canadian International Development Agency helped fund the business advisory services.
Exim Bank takes an innovative approach to address the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs running midsize
firms. The bank allows women to use contracts with reputable companies as collateral for their loans, which have an average
size of $160,000.
Other banks in developing markets such as Access Bank in Nigeria, Sacom Bank in Vietnam, and Bank International in
Indonesia, have also realized the potential of women entrepreneurs and have initiated or are examining specific approaches to
enhance growth opportunities for women-owned businesses.
3.2 Finance for women-owned businesses: A key focus of development finance institutions
IFC assists BLC, Lebanon to increase its reach to SME clients through disbursement of new SME loans, of which 20 percent
will be women entrepreneurs.
BLC recognizes women including women-owned SMEs as a sub-segment across all banking products, including retail
banking products. IFC supports ABANK Turkey to grow its women-owned SME portfolio to 150 clients and $100 million
in outstanding loans by the end of 2016. This will be achieved with a $25 million credit line and an additional $15 million
from FMO, the Dutch Development Bank, of which 50 percent is slated for women entrepreneurs. Garanti Romania plans
to expand its SME portfolio to $1.4 billion in outstanding loans, to at least 300 women-owned businesses by the end of
2015. IFC supports this effort with a €22.5 million ($30.4 million) credit line, with 50 percent of the facility aimed at
women entrepreneurs.
African Development Bank
African Development Bank’s Growth Oriented Women Entrepreneurs (GOWE) program is a partial guarantee aimed
at women entrepreneurs. The program was launched in Kenya and Cameroon in 2006 and 2007 respectively. The Kenya
GOWE program is fully financed by the African Development Bank with up to $3 million for capacity building and
management, and another $10 million for the partial guarantee facility. In Cameroon, African Development Bank, Canada
Trust Fund ($450,000), and Irish Trust Fund ($100,000) jointly financed the GOWE program for capacity building and
management. African Development Bank has in place $13 million for the partial guarantee with International Labour
Organisation (ILO) as technical advisory partner. Similar partial guarantee programs in Tanzania and Zambia have recently
been launched.
33 Assessment of MSME Landscape
USAID’s Development Credit Authority
USAID’s Development Credit Authority program partners with Kenyan financial institutions to encourage lending in
areas that are underserved due to the perception of high risks. Under this partnership, Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB)
has introduced the Grace Loan, which is tailor-made for individual women entrepreneurs and women business groups to
meet working capital or business expansion needs. Women can apply for funds of up to $62,000, repayable in up to 36
months. The loan also has an important training component. To access value added services, women entrepreneurs get the
opportunity to join KCB’s Biashara Club (a club for business women, biashara in Swahili means business). Since its launch,
the bank has lent over $1.6 million to 350 women entrepreneurs.
3.3 Equity financing
As with the rest of the MSME sector, equity finance, particularly in the early stages, is critical for the growth of women-
owned enterprises. As with other businesses, women-owned enterprises need to be capitalized if they are to achieve
sustainable growth. Although commercial banks and microfinance institutions have been engaged in providing credit,
other sources such as equity funds or angel/investment funds are required for equity support. World-wide, women-owned
businesses attract less than 5 percent of venture capital funds. Investment funds such as equity and angel funds provide access
to seed capital, as well as technical assistance support which may increase sustainability of these enterprises. There are several
international funds that have successful models that target women-owned SMEs.
Trapezia Fund
The UK-based Trapezia Fund is the first equity fund dedicated to venture capital requirements of women-centred business
in the United Kingdom and Europe. Trapezia offers investors the opportunity to invest in women-focused businesses for
three to five years. The fund, which uses tax rebates to incentivise investors, started with $7 million in November 2006. It has
invested amounts of $380,000 to $880,000 in a diversified portfolio of ten companies led by women. A Trapezia II fund is
currently in negotiations to meet the demand in the United Kingdom.
Women Enterprise Development Initiative
Similarly, in South Africa the Women Enterprise Development Initiative (WEDI) is a seven-year, $250 million closed-
end, women-owned SME equity fund. WEDI achieves high social impact and above average returns on investments by
using up to 1 percent of funds for assessment and support required by women entrepreneurs to be successful. WEDI
incorporates a multi-disciplinary and holistic approach to enterprise development, while providing capacity building services
to women-owned SMEs to achieve long-term growth. Operating out of South Africa, the fund covers the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) region.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 34
4
The way forward
35 Women-owned Business in India
Chapter four
4. The way forward
The number of women entrepreneurs in India is increasing; so is the demand-supply gap for financing of women-owned
enterprises. There is a growing opportunity for financial institutions to address the needs of this segment. While tapping
this market requires financial institutions to make some contextual adaptations, there is a strong case that serving women
entrepreneurs makes significant business sense.
4.1 Finance for women-owned MSMEs – The business case for financial institutions
The business case for financial institutions to expand financial products and services to women-owned enterprises is based on
a combination of volume and value factors.
Volume
●● Significant market opportunity: Women entrepreneurs present a strong “volume” business case as there are over
three million women-owned businesses in India and only about 3 percent of these businesses access finance from
formal financial institutions. The financing gap for women-owned businesses is 73 percent of total requirements or
approximately Indian rupees 6.37 trillion ($115 billion).
Value
There is significant empirical evidence that women tend to be better borrowers and customers, thus providing “value” to their
partner financial institutions.
●● Better quality credit: Women-owned MSMEs have a better repayment track record[14] according to the experience
of banks in developed economies. Gender disaggregated data from banks indicates that non-performing loans are 30
to 50 percent[15] lower in women-owned businesses when compared with those owned by men.
●● Comprehensive banking relationships: Women tend to be more loyal in the long term[16] to a chosen financial
institution and they are better depositors into bank savings accounts as well.
●● Enhanced profitability: Some reports[17] suggest that women are roughly twice as profitable as men, because
they access more products from the bank or financial institution with which they have dealings. Women-owned
MSMEs could have more potential for cross sales[18] when compared with men-owned businesses. While male
entrepreneurs focus on just one product dealing with a bank and usually will look at multiple options before buying
other products, female entrepreneurs are more likely to access a range of services such as credit, savings, insurance,
and remittances. Banks’ cross sales to women entrepreneurs are two to three times higher[19] than to men-owned
businesses.
In India, given a lack of any market leader in this space, there is enormous potential for formal financial institutions to
develop a brand as a financial partner for women-owned businesses. An institution entering this sub-segment will have a first
mover advantage.
[14] Ready for Growth: Solutions to Increase Access to Finance for Women-Owned Businesses in the Middle East and North Africa, IFC
[15] Banking to the female economy: Global banking alliance for women, interview with Inez Murray, CEO for Global banking alliance for women
[16] Interview with Ms. Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President and CEO of WWB published by Times of India Crest, dated 9 March 2013
[17] Banking to the female economy: Global banking alliance for women, interview with Inez Murray, CEO for Global banking alliance for women
[18] Ibid
[19] Banking to the female economy: Global banking alliance for women, interview with Inez Murray, CEO for Global banking alliance for women
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 36
The way forward
4.2 Key recommendations
Given the limited financing to women-owned enterprises, several levels of interventions are required to build
this market.
Role of formal financial institutions
Strengthen understanding of the needs of this sub-segment:
Customized offerings for women entrepreneurs require deep understanding of the market: their
financial needs and support services required will have to be researched and documented. Due to
limited knowledge and experience in this area, financial institutions may have to begin the product
development process with market research followed by pilots in select geographies.
Build a “brand” and develop tailored products and services to meet financial needs of women entrepreneurs
Next, with an understanding of the needs of women entrepreneurs, financial institutions can focus on
building a “brand” as a financial partner for women-owned businesses, catering to the full spectrum
of their financial needs. A suite of financial products and services specifically tailored to the financial
needs of these entrepreneurs can be offered, along with associated sourcing and marketing strategies.
Customize policies, processes and systems to align to women entrepreneurs’ needs
In addition to developing tailored products and services and a “women-friendly brand”, financial
institutions can align policies, procedures, and systems to become more accessible to women
entrepreneurs. Financial institutions can build “brands” as banks that serve women entrepreneurs
through targeted sourcing/marketing strategies, generate awareness about products and services, and
provide tailored tools to women such as doorstep services, online, and phone support. For instance:
ÎÎ Simplify the approval process to reduce the number of visits to branches
ÎÎ Explore potential for “doorstep financial delivery model” branchless banking and other
innovative delivery systems
ÎÎ Consider tie-ups with non-governmental organizations, microfinance institutions, and self-
help groups that often have a better understanding of their geographies and insights into
clients’ cash flow cycles and repayment capacities. These tie ups could reduce transaction
costs and manage risk
ÎÎ Remove dependence on male members of family as a pre-requisite to access finance. Some/
many public sector banks demand the husband’s or father’s (in case of unmarried women)
signature to approve loan applications
ÎÎ Explore options on psychological or alternative collaterals such as post-dated cheques,
movable assets, and business assets
ÎÎ Incorporate delivery channels such as online banking, mobile banking, and phone-a-financial
product facilities.
37 MSME Finance Demand
Chapter four
Promote a friendlier environment for women customers
When financial institutions deal with a relatively new customer segment with customized products, changes in
human resource management systems may be needed. Banks can train sales staff, including relationship managers,
on how to engage with women entrepreneurs. Financial institutions may consider hiring and training more female
relationship managers to target women-owned MSMEs, as this could increase accessibility to new customers and
provide greater comfort to them. Branches should be seen as more friendly and approachable for women customers.
Deliver non-financial services
Non-financial services can be a strong complement to the core business of credit delivery. Potential services could
include:
ÎÎ Programs to make women aware about banking products and processes. Since a key demand-side
constraint is the lack of awareness of products and services, financial institutions should proactively build
awareness about tailored products and services available. Banks could organise workshops, seminars, town
council meets, and group discussions. Such events offer opportunities to women entrepreneurs to have
one-on-one interactions with bankers and get to know about financial products and schemes for women.
They also offer opportunities for women entrepreneurs to build networks.
ÎÎ Training programs on human resources, financial management, business management, marketing, and
financing the venture. These skills can be extremely beneficial in supporting women entrepreneurs sustain
and grow their enterprises, making them long- term and better customers.
ÎÎ MSME toolkit to help women businesses at different stages of the business cycle -inception, start-up and
growth - in areas such as business planning, financial projections, input management, marketing, market
linkage, and branding. Women-owned businesses that are unable to engage expensive advisory services can
benefit from this type of intervention.
Enabling environment
Co-create a risk capital fund
Governments and, in some cases, multilateral agencies have come up with risk share facilities to encourage banks
to lend to women-owned enterprises. A risk-share facility with support from the government of India can provide
impetus to credit delivery to women enterprises and will encourage banks and financial institutions to focus on this
segment.
Equal rights to property
Governments should promote and incentivise joint property registration. Such a move will enable women to be
included in asset registration, give them equal rights to property, enabling them to use it as collateral and enhance
access to finance. Similarly, governments should focus on amending regulations to address issues around inheritance
of property and land ownership of women.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 38
The way forward
Simplify collateral requirement
More than 90 percent of women-owned enterprises in India are self-financed. Stringent collateral and
documentation requirements act as barriers. A simplified collateral regime will greatly encourage women
entrepreneurs and enable access. Governments may focus on developing an effective secured transactions
regime for women enterprises characterized by a wide range of allowable collaterals (immovable and movable),
the establishment of clear priority rankings of claims over collateral, efficient collateral registries, and effective
enforcement of collateral in case of default. Governments may focus on developing a credit guarantee scheme to
enable women entrepreneurs borrow from formal financial institutions in the absence of collateral.
Formulate women-focused policies to promote women-owned enterprises
The government of Andhra Pradesh has set an example by creating a dedicated women-enterprise focused industrial
area. This initiative is an important landmark in terms of ‘policy segmentation’ to promote women enterprises and
can be replicated in other geographies.
Co-create an online customer care support
A call center for women entrepreneurs to guide them on business planning, financial management, working capital
management, input/raw material purchase, legal counselling, and market linkages will help them get help and
information on critical issues that they face at different stages of the business cycle.
Role of development finance institutions (DFIs)
DFIs can offer credit lines and equity schemes to commercial banks in developing countries to increase their
capabilities to address the needs of women entrepreneurs. This will enhance the efforts from the government and
the private sector to address the needs of women entrepreneurs. In addition, DFIs can support financial institutions
through guarantee facilities to mitigate risks perceived by financial institutions looking to lend to women
entrepreneurs. Also, DFI interventions can be combined with technical assistance to assist financial institutions
enhance the skills of women entrepreneurs.
39 MSME Finance Demand
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 40
Appendices
41 Women-owned Business in India
Annexure 1
Annexure 1:
Estimation approach
Approach to calculate the financing gap
The estimation of the financing demand and gap for women-owned MSMEs is based on an approach that entails
comprehensive assessment of women-owned MSMEs’ financing needs, and supply by formal financial services providers. The
financing gap is calculated, based on the needs and supply as shown in figure 2:
figure 2
Women-owned micro, small and medium Private/non
Government
enterprises in India government
Estimation methodology
Long-term assets
Working capital Centre Banks
financing and
demand
investment demand
Microfinance
State
institutions (MFI)
Non-banking financial
corporations (NBFC)
Demand Supply
minus
WOMEN OWNED ENTERPRISES FINANCING GAP
Detailed estimation process
Data on total number of women-owned MSMEs, both registered and unregistered, was extracted from the MSME Ministry’s
Annual Report 2011-12 and 4th MSME Survey Census of Registered and Unregistered MSMEs 2006. The women-owned
MSMEs were then segregated into micro, small, and medium enterprises as per the definition of the ministry. The working
capital needs based on average operating margin and average gross output per enterprise was estimated for each segment.
Long-term assets financing and investment demand was estimated based on asset turnover ratio and average plant and
machinery (for manufacturing sector) or total assets (for services sector) per enterprise. Table 13 shows the estimated average
working capital and assets financing demand.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 42
Estimation approach
Table 13 Estimated average financing needs of women-owned MSMEs
Average working capital need Average long-term assets financing and investment
Segregation level
(In $ thousand) (In $ thousand)
Micro 4.80 8.00
Small 352.40 1,144.80
Medium 3,130.00 10,442.60
The estimated demand for financing of women-owned MSMEs in India for working capital and fixed assets financing was
calculated based on the estimated financing needs for each segment (tables 14 and 15). The total financing need for women-
owned MSMEs is estimated at $158 billion (table 16).
Table 14 Estimated working capital financing demand by women-owned MSMEs
Working capital financing demand estimation
Average working
Consolidated financing needs
Number of units capital financing need
(in $ billion)
(In $ thousand)
Micro 2,929,376 4.80 14.05
Small 77,943 352.40 27.47
Medium 276 3,130.00 0.86
TOTAL 3,007,595 42.38
Table 15 Estimated asset financing and investment demand by women-owned MSMEs
Long-term assets and investment financing demand estimation
Average long-term assets
Consolidated financing needs
Number of units and investment financing
(In $ billion)
need (In $ thousand)
Micro 2,929,376 8.00 23.31
Small 77,943 1,144.80 89.23
Medium 276 10,442.60 2.88
TOTAL 3,007,595 115.43
Conversion rate: $1= Indian rupees 55 (based on an average of 2012)
43 Women-owned Business in India
Annexure 1
Table 16 Estimated total financing demand by women-owned MSMEs
Long-term assets and investment financing demand estimation
Working
Long-term assets and Consolidated
capital
Number of units investment financing financing needs
demand
(In $ billion) (in $ billion)
(In $ billion)
Micro 2,929,376 14.05 23.31 37.36
Small 77,943 27.47 89.23 116.70
Medium 276 0.86 2.88 3.75
TOTAL 3,007,595 42.38 115.43 157.80
The demand estimate was compared with financing supply from scheduled commercial banks, non-bank finance
corporations and microfinance institutions. Supply data was sourced from the Reserve Bank of India, microfinance sector
reports, and websites of top NBFCs of India. The total supply of financing to the women-owned MSME sector for 2012 was
calculated at $42 billion. The financing gap for women-owned MSME sector was estimated at $116 billion.
All figures have been rounded when referenced in the main report to avoid the conclusion that they are anything more than
approximates based on the best information and analysis available at the time of preparation.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 44
Case study on
Increasing access to
finance for women
entrepreneurs in
Lebanon
Annexure 2:
Increasing access to finance
for women entrepreneurs
in Lebanon
IFC works with BLC Bank to improve access to finance and support growth of women-owned businesses in Lebanon. BLC
Bank, supported by IFC, launched the Women’s Empowerment Initiative, which offers a range of services tailored to women-
owned businesses. This initiative makes it easier for these businesses to access the capital they need to expand, creating jobs
and spurring economic development in Lebanon.
The opportunity
The main barrier to increasing participation of women in business in Lebanon remains access to finance. While this
constraint is universal for all small and medium enterprises, regardless of gender, it tends to disproportionately affect women-
owned businesses. Women own more than 30 percent of all smaller businesses in the developing world, but in Lebanon only
3 percent of bank loans go to female entrepreneurs.
This under-tapped market presents an enormous opportunity for financial institutions and other business providers that
support women-owned businesses. Research indicates that women tend to be loyal customers and cautious investors, in
addition to having better loan-payback rates. Serving this market not only makes business sense, it also has a positive impact
on society as a whole by expanding economic growth and job creation. A recent World Bank study in Lebanon has shown
that women-owned enterprises hire more women and provide greater social benefits to employees than enterprises owned by
men.
The approach
IFC’s Advisory Services team worked with BLC Bank to design financial services and banking products for smaller
enterprises. As a sub-set of its overall strategy for small and medium enterprises, IFC helped BLC recognize the business case
for actively reaching out to the market of smaller enterprises owned by women.
IFC’s support included market research to understand the needs of women-owned businesses and testing of new product
concepts. Adopting IFC’s recommendations, BLC launched the Women’s Empowerment Initiative, the first program dedicated
to the economic empowerment of women in the Middle East and North Africa region. BLC Bank targets women employees
and entrepreneurs, providing them with innovative products and services to support their advancement.
In addition to new financial services, the Women’s Empowerment Initiative provides non-financial services critical
to supporting the growth of women-owned businesses. In this context, BLC launched a website dedicated to female
entrepreneurs that allows them to exchange ideas and combine forces to tackle professional challenges. BLC Bank also created
a Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award to honor successful businesswomen.
45 Women-owned Business in India
Annexure 2
Results and impact
●● Increased number of loans to women-owned small and medium enterprises by 55 percent.
●● Increased number of women-owned deposit accounts by 17 percent.
●● Became the first bank in the Middle East and North Africa to commit to the UN Global Compact/UN Women’s
Empowerment Principles and to join the Global Banking Alliance for Women.
“Initiatives like these are key to changing attitudes about the role of women in society. At the same time, we are also demonstrating
that there is a considerable commercial advantage in providing women with concrete means to access financing for their businesses.”
— Maurice Sehnaoui,
Chairman and General Manager,
BLC Bank
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 46
References
Annexure 3:
References
Almodóvar-Reteguis, N., Kushnir, K., & Meilland, T. Mapping the Legal Gender Gap in Using Property
and Building Credit.
Andersson, I., Raihan, A., Rivera, M., Sulaiman, I., & Tandon, N. (1993). Handbook on Women-owned
SMEs. Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice, 16, 5-26.
Annual report (2012). Annual report of KVIC. Retrieved from KVIC
Annual report (2012). Annual report of Ministry of Finance. Retrieved from Ministry of Finance
Annual report (2012). Annual report of Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. Retrieved
from Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Annual report (2012). Annual report of NABARD. Retrieved from NABARD
Annual report (2012). Annual report of NSIC. Retrieved from NSIC
Annual report (2012). Annual report of SIDBI. Retrieved from SIDBI
Banking to the female economy: Global banking alliance for women, interview with Inez Murray, CEO
for Global banking alliance for women
Bruni, A., Gherardi, S., & Poggio, B. (2004). Entrepreneur-mentality, gender and the study of women
entrepreneurs. Journal of Organisational Change Management, 17(3), 256-268.
Brush, C., Carter, N., Gatewood, E., Greene, P., & Hart, M. (2004). Clearing the hurdles: Women
building high-growth businesses. FT Press.
Cohoon, J. M., Wadhwa, V., & Mitchell, L. (2010). The anatomy of an entrepreneur: Are successful
women entrepreneurs different from men. Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, 6.
Dhameja S K (2002), Women Entrepreneurs: Opportunities, Performance and Problems, Deep Publisher
(P) Ltd., New Delhi.
Eastwood, T. (2004). Women Entrepreneurs-Issues and Barriers. A Regional, National and International
Perspective. Exemplas Ltd.
47 Women-owned Business in India
Annexure 3
Gill, K. (1986). Hindu women’s right to property in India. Deep & Deep Publications.
Interview with Ms. Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President and CEO of WWB published by Times of India
Crest, dated 9 March 2013
Kumbhar, V. (2012). Some Critical Issues of Women Entrepreneurship in Rural India. Available at SSRN
2043821.
Mahanty Sangram Keshari – Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship – Prentice Hall of India Raheem A
(2006), “Role of SHGs”, Yojana, Vol. 50, No. 12. Renuka V. (2001) Opportunities and challenges for
women in business, India Together, Online Report, Civil Society Information Exchange Pvt. Ltd.
Memon, S. A. (2012). A study of women entrepreneurship development in Kolhapur city. Zenith
International Journal of Business Economics & Management Research, 2(5), 12-22.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance in India, A Research Study on Needs, Gaps and Way
Forward (November, 2012), IFC
Mohiuddin, W., & Ramlal, D. Empowerment of women in India-new patterns.
MSME Census (2007). Fourth All India Census of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises - Registered
Sector. Retrieved from Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
MSME Census (2007). Fourth All India Census of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises - Unregistered
Sector. Retrieved from Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Parmar, T. Indian Women Entrepreneurship: Issues and Prospects. Management Issues & Options, 66.
Ready for Growth: Solutions to Increase Access to Finance for Women-Owned Businesses in the Middle
East and North Africa, IFC
Sanusi, S. L. Increasing women’s access to finance: Challenges and Opportunities.
Sharma, D. A., Dua, M. S., & Hatwal, M. V. Micro enterprise development and rural women
entrepreneurship: Way for economic empowerment.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 48
References
Statistical tables (2012), Banking sector statistics. Retrieved from RBI
Stein, P., Goland, T., & Schiff, R. (2010). Two trillion and counting. International Finance Corporation,
McKinsey & Company.
Strengthening Access to Finance for Women-Owned SMEs in Developing Countries, IFC, October 2012
T, M. (2013). Contemporary issues and challenges in woman entrepreneurship. International Journal of
Trade & Global Business Perspectives, 2(1), 191-197.
Tambunan, T. (2009). Women entrepreneurship in Asian developing countries: Their development and
main constraints. Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics, 1(2), 27-40.
Trade Related Entrepreneurship Assistance and Development (TREAD) Scheme for Women.” MSME-
DO. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2013.
Verheul, I., & Thurik, R. (2001). Start-up capital:” does gender matter?”. Small business economics, 16(4),
329-346.
Watson, J., & Robinson, R. (2003, September). SME performance: does gender matter. In Small
Enterprise Association of Australia and New Zealand 16th Annual Conference, Ballarat.
Watson, J., Newby, R., & Mahuka, A. (2009). Gender and the SME “finance gap”. International Journal
of ( December, 2013 )and Entrepreneurship, 1(1), 42-56.
Women Entrepreneurship. SmallB. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2013.
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Finance 50
Acknowledgements:
Ananya Wahid Kader, Makena Mwiti, Jennifer Isern, Roshika K Singh, Swati Sawhney, Pratibha
Chhabra, Ashutosh Tandon (IFC),
Manoj K Sharma, Anup Singh, Abhishek Lahiri, Abhay Pareek, Bhavana Srivastava (MicroSave)
51 Women-owned Business in India
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively
on the private sector in developing countries.
Established in 1956, IFC is owned by 184 member countries, a group that collectively determines our
policies. Our work in more than a 100 developing countries allows companies and financial institutions in
emerging markets to create jobs, generate tax revenues, improve corporate governance and environmental
performance, and contribute to their local communities.
IFC’s vision is that people should have the opportunity to escape poverty and improve their lives.
Contact Information Stay Connected
International Finance Corporation www.ifc.org/southasia
Maruti Suzuki Building www.facebook.com/IFCsouthasia
3rd Floor, 1 Nelson Mandela Road, www.twitter.com/IFC_SouthAsia
Vasant Kunj, New Delhi - 110070 www.ifc.org/facebook
India www.twitter.com/IFC_org
T: +91 11 4111-1000 www.youtube.com/ifcvideocasts
www.ifc.org/SocialMediaIndex
F: +91 11 4111-1001
www.ifc.org
2013