The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) of Việt Nam and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday launched the first-ever study on women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Việt Nam.
Men are the majority customers in bank lending portfolios throughout the world. The gender gap in access to credit is larger in developing countries and especially onerous for women entrepreneurs who suffered disproportionate employment and income losses during the recent COVID pandemic. What drives this gap and what can be done about it? Increasingly rich research evidence provides some answers.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) has the largest gender gap in financial inclusion in the Pacific region, with women 29% less likely than men to have access to formal financial services. Multiple factors contribute to this inequality, including a low level of financial management and digital skills among women.