Bridging the gap: Leaders convene to enhance financial access for women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh

With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, MSC (MicroSave Consulting) hosted a landmark event at The Westin Dhaka, titled "Bridging the gap: Regulation and practices for better credit access to women entrepreneurs." The event marked the culmination of MSC's Women Business Diaries (WBD) project. This initiative seeks to address the unique financial needs of women entrepreneurs through gender-intentional product design and action research.

The roundtable featured dynamic discussions on policy, innovation, and the role of financial institutions in enhancing women's access to credit. Moderated by Abhishek Anand from MSC, the panel discussion focused on "Leveraging policy for financial product innovation to accelerate access to financial services for women." Panelists included Mr. Nawshad Mustafa, Director, SMESPD, Bangladesh Bank; Farzana Khan, General Manager, SME Foundation; Dr. Chowdhury Saima Ferdous, Professor, Department of International Business, University of Dhaka; and Md. Shafquat Hossain, Deputy Managing Director & Head of Retail Banking, Mutual Trust Bank PLC. In the segment, the panelists shared insights on women entrepreneurs' challenges and potential policy interventions to bridge the financial inclusion gap.

The event also featured a fireside chat moderated by Snigdha Ali, Bangladesh Country Lead for Financial Services for the Poor at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In it, leaders from Bank Asia, BRAC Bank, and Mutual Trust Bank discussed practical solutions to deliver better financial services to women entrepreneurs. The participants were Syed Mahbubur Rahman, Managing Director & CEO of Mutual Trust Bank PLC; Sohail RK Hussain, President and Managing Director of Bank Asia PLC; and Syed Abdul Momen, Deputy Managing Director & Head of SME at BRAC Bank PLC. The chat highlighted the importance of women-led initiatives.

A key highlight of the event was the dissemination of findings from MSC's WBD project, which monitored the financial and non-financial lives of women entrepreneurs over a 21-month period. The presentation, led by Ayushi Misra, Project Manager at MSC, shed light on the financial behaviors, challenges, and aspirations of women entrepreneurs across Bangladesh. As part of the proceedings, partner banks unveiled new financial products designed to address women entrepreneurs' unique needs. These innovations, developed in collaboration with MSC, seek to simplify access to credit, offer lower collateral requirements, and provide tailored financial solutions for women-led businesses in urban and rural areas. The event concluded with a call to action for stakeholders to continue their efforts to make financial services more inclusive and accessible.

The Women Business Diaries project, generously supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has been a collaborative effort involving MSC, partner banks, and key stakeholders in the financial sector. The organizers extend their heartfelt thanks to all participants for their dedication and contributions toward making financial inclusion a reality for women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a global philanthropic organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for individuals worldwide. The foundation's efforts in Bangladesh include supporting initiatives to enhance access to financial services for the unbanked, empowering women entrepreneurs, and driving digital financial inclusion.

MSC (MicroSave Consulting) is a boutique consulting firm that has, for more than 25 years, advanced financial, social, and economic inclusion across more than 50 countries. In Bangladesh, MSC has been instrumental in designing innovative financial solutions and supporting policy frameworks that empower underserved communities, particularly women.