What We're Reading
This brief examines how unpaid childcare responsibilities limit women’s time, mobility, and opportunities to launch and scale businesses across diverse country contexts. While legal reforms are improving, major gaps remain in the availability, affordability, and implementation of quality childcare services. The paper emphasizes that investing in childcare—alongside addressing gender norms and supporting care-sector entrepreneurs—is essential for boosting women’s economic participation. It positions the care economy as both a development priority and an untapped market opportunity.
This joint report by ERIA, ADB, and METI examines the evolving role of transition finance, technology, and policy in supporting the decarbonisation of Southeast Asia’s emissions-intensive sectors such as power and heavy industry – the so-called ‘high emissions’ and ‘hard-to-abate’ sectors, respectively. These sectors are highlighted in high-level roadmaps that identify key investment areas for a pragmatic energy transition.
This report provides insights on the structural and gender-specific barriers faced by micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in Cambodia and highlights potential solutions.
Drawing on extensive data and stakeholder insights, it reveals how unequal access to knowledge, finance, and networks can hold back enterprises owned by women. The report sets out targeted policy recommendations for inclusive economic development where women entrepreneurs are empowered to lead in the digital and green economy.
This paper analyzes the dynamics of microfinance in Georgia, combining household survey results with financial and policy data to assess how the sector supports poverty reduction and inclusion.
It identifies structural and regulatory barriers and proposes ways to expand microfinance services. It offers insights for policymakers, financial institutions, and development partners seeking to promote inclusive growth.
This report aims to shed light on the demand, availability, risks, constraints, and opportunities related to Pacific women entrepreneurs’ access to insurance. The research presented will contribute to informing the formulation of recommendations to strengthen the capacity of PICs to deliver insurance products that build women’s resilience, support their entrepreneurial activities, and promote broader economic empowerment.
This publication reviews the landscape of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in 26 countries in Asia and the Pacific. Accompanied by a database, it aims to support policymakers in promoting MSME development and resilience.
Based on evidence from over 400 MSMEs, it shows how micro businesses are less likely to use technology in their operations and highlights how skills shortages, cybersecurity concerns, and inadequate infrastructure affect adoption. It explains the need to target women entrepreneurs and examines how a comprehensive strategy that involves personalized training, better access to digital expertise, and stronger digital finance programs can increase skills and drive inclusion.
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.