On this page, the Women's Finance Exchange showcases the work of other teams within ADB.
On 8 April, the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program launched the CAREC Women’s Empowerment Online Platform (WEOP). WEOP  is a new digital space that aims to empower women in CAREC member countries (Azerbaijan, People’s Republic of China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) by providing capacity development resources, opportunities for networking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration.
WEOP content is available in three languages: English, Russian and Chinese.
For individuals, families, entrepreneurs and small businesses, access to finance is often cited as a primary obstacle in their path of self-employment and economic development. For the most part, this is the target market of microfinance institutions (MFIs). Across Asia and the Pacific, many MFIs struggle to obtain the commercial funding they need to grow and to meet the demands of their micro-borrowing clients, a vast majority of which are women.
​
Learn more about ADB's Microfinance Risk Participation and Guarantee Program.
The trade finance (TF) business of the Trade & Supply Chain Finance Program (TSCFP) of the Asian Development Bank fills market gaps for trade finance by providing guarantees and loans to banks. TF continues to grow, supporting billions of dollars of trade throughout the region, which in turn helps create sustainable jobs and economic growth in Asia’s developing countries.
​
Learn more about ADB's TSCFP.
Gender equality and women's empowerment are essential for meeting Asia and the Pacific's aspirations of inclusive and sustainable development. ADB recognizes that to reduce poverty rates, helping women and girls must be a priority in its work.
​
Learn more about ADB's work in gender and development.
The COVID-19 Relief for Women-Led Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Project is a sovereign grant that will provide $5,000,000 of grant funding to help female entrepreneurs in Viet Nam maintain access to finance during because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). It is funded by the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) and will incentivize participating banks to restructure existing loans and to extend new loans. At least 500 women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (WSMEs) are expected to benefit.