The operation will support the company’s ongoing working capital needs, enabling it to provide pre-harvest financing to more than 50,000 farmers across the country.

To make loans more accessible and affordable for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), IFC has set up a risk-sharing facility with FirstRand Bank Limited that will cover half of the credit risk for a portfolio of up to ZAR1.8 billion ($99 million equivalent) of loans to these businesses in South Africa.

At least 50 percent of proceeds of this EUR 20 million IFC loan to Mikrofin, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s leading microfinance institution, will support women-owned businesses, 25 percent to finance climate-related projects.

The investment will support women-led businesses in particular and help expand financial services in the Brazilian Legal Amazon region, contributing to promoting the country's inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

The fund will provide financing in partnership with African banks to support up to 20 SMEs that face stress with their existing loan options.

This report offers ten guidelines for financial institutions to adopt a strategy that enhances the financial inclusion of women, recognizing them as a profitable yet underserved customer segment.

Under the partnership, IFC will loan First Bank up to $60 million equivalent in euros, including $20 million from IFC’s own account and $40 million mobilized from other lenders  to increase access to finance for thousands of smaller businesses in Cameroon.

IFC’s investment will help AFC in expanding its financing for MSMEs, with at least 60 percent of loan proceeds earmarked for women-owned or led MSMEs (WMSMEs). 

IFC and Banco Daycoval, one of Brazil's leading mid-sized banks in the corporate credit market, have just signed a $460 million loan agreement to stimulate credit for female entrepreneurship and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), particularly in the Legal Amazon region.