Some 70 per cent of women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) globally lack adequate access to financial services, perpetuating gender inequality with significant consequences for individuals, communities, and sustainable economic growth.
Organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in partnership with the Government of Canada, the Feminist Finance Forum next week will drive action to move the needle on gender lens investing and financial inclusion for entrepreneurs across the region. The in-person event will convene around 200 key stakeholders, including policy makers from across the region, women entrepreneurs, investors and financial service providers, to strategize on how to tackle these challenges through innovative solutions.
During the Forum, ESCAP will launch its report: Policy Approaches for Financial Inclusion: An Examination of Approaches across Asia and the Pacific and Latin America, and a Community of Practice on Women's Financial Inclusion will be initiated. On the sidelines of the event, regional thought leaders and practitioners of Feminist Finance will launch and introduce innovative new tools and initiatives to close the gender-finance gap:
- Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) will launch its Orange Bond, set to unlock US$ 10 billion to empower 100 million women.
- Women-led South-East Asia-based impact investment firm, SWEEF Capital will introduce participants to its recently launched Gender ROI™ tool, demonstrating the positive impact of adopting a gendered approach within organizations.
- She Loves Tech, the world's largest acceleration platform for women and technology, will host a competition for women led start-ups from the Mekong region to pitch in front of the region's top investors and funding institutions.
