The gender lens: What needs to be done to bridge the investment gap?

Banking on women: The rise of female SMEs and how financial institutions can step up

Over the past decade, female entrepreneurs have become an increasingly powerful force in the global economy. Yet, despite their growing presence, women remain a minority in the small to medium business sector (SME). RFI Global SME data shows that only between one-fifth and two-fifths of SMEs are owned by women, so we turned to our data in key markets to look at how financial institutions can better support the needs and growth of female business…

The gender lens: What needs to be done to bridge the investment gap?

As Charlotte Yonge sorted through boxes of her grandmother’s things this year, she found a pile of handwritten share records from the 1970s. It triggered a memory: when she was young, Yonge had always seen women as the ones who invested, as her grandmother had throughout her life. But as she grew older, Yonge realised she was relatively alone in this assessment. In most homes, men handled the finances, and on a professional level, men were the o…

NWEW 2025 Report | Women entrepreneurs still face funding barriers – why investment needs to change

Despite progress in gender equality, women entrepreneurs continue to face significant barriers in securing funding. The latest National Women’s Enterprise Week (NWEW) 2025 report highlights the stark disparities between female-led and male-led businesses, shedding light on the challenges women face when seeking investment. With fewer opportunities, lower funding amounts, and a clear lack of representation in investment portfolios, the findings s…