What We're Reading
Closing the financing gap for women owned/led micro, small, and medium enterprises (WMSMEs) represents a multi-trillion-dollar business opportunity for the financial services industry. But as with all customer segments, tapping into the WMSMEs opportunity requires data, which is critical to understand the unique needs and preferences of women entrepreneurs and to properly serve them.
This working paper explores how inclusive systems and financial tools can help vulnerable populations better withstand and adapt to escalating climate shocks. It highlights the untapped potential of leveraging existing social protection frameworks, such as digital registries and cash delivery systems, to channel climate finance more quickly and equitably to those most at risk. Drawing on real-world examples and evidence, the paper argues that integrating climate funds with established social safety nets and inclusive financial services can expand reach, improve efficiency, and strengthen long-term resilience outcomes for households and communities facing climate impacts.
Cyber Resilience for Financial Inclusion
Threat Landscape Report
This report highlights significant cybersecurity gaps among organizations working to expand financial services to underserved communities across the Asia-Pacific region. The assessment found widespread issues such as misconfigured systems, weak web and email security, and exposed credentials, leaving both organizations and the vulnerable populations they serve at heightened risk. The report emphasizes that strengthening basic cyber hygiene, adopting multi-factor authentication, and improving overall security practices are essential to protect financial inclusion efforts from disruption and exploitation.
The newly released Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2024/2025 Women’s Entrepreneurship Report: Navigating Challenges, Driving Change reveals that while women entrepreneurs continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience and innovation, they still encounter persistent barriers that hinder their full participation in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Drawing on insights from 161,528 adults across 51 countries, this year’s report sheds light on these challenges—highlighting, among other findings, the differing reasons women and men cite for closing a business.
This report examines the issues and policy solutions used around the world to develop women’s entrepreneurship financing. It is aligned with the principles of the OECD Council Recommendation on SME Financing, which underlines the need to develop a wide range of financing options for entrepreneurs and recognise differences between different entrepreneur profiles, and builds on the findings of the OECD flagship report Financing SMEs and Entrepreneurs Scoreboard as well as broader OECD work on women entrepreneurship, including the report on Entrepreneurship Policy through a Gender Lens.
By evaluating gender-specific factors across economies, the index highlights how successful female entrepreneurs contribute to economic and social development. It also assesses domestic strengths and weaknesses in cultivating supportive environments.