FINCA is proud to be named the Best Financier for Women Entrepreneurs in the Europe region at the 2025 Global SME Finance Forum. This recognition celebrates our work in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan— and affirms our enduring commitment to empowering women entrepreneurs across Eurasia and the world.

Since our founding in 1984, FINCA has placed women at the center of our mission to end poverty through financial inclusion. Our first group loans helped women invest in their livelihoods and support their families. Today, our approach is considerably more sophisticated and comprehensive, combining tailored financial products, holistic training, inclusive governance, and workforce development to create lasting impact.

Meeting Women Where They Are

FINCA designs products and services that reflect the realities of women entrepreneurs in under-resourced countries. Many of FINCA’s women customers face systemic barriers such as limited access to formal financial services, lack of collateral, and minimal credit history. Our purpose-driven product and service design addresses these challenges head-on.

FINCA’s community-based delivery model ensures we reach women in underserved and rural areas—places where traditional banks often have little or no presence, or interest in serving emerging entrepreneurs. In many places, we offer collateral-free loans with flexible repayment terms and grace periods, preferred savings rates, affordable insurance, and credits for early repayment. We tailor repayment schedules to seasonal income patterns and embed financial literacy and business coaching into every step of the customer journey.

Technology for Inclusion

FINCA leverages technology to bridge the digital divide. Our subsidiaries offer mobile apps, QR code transactions, e-wallets, and online bill payment platforms that expand access to responsible financial services. Recognizing that many women lack experience with digital tools, we provide financial education in local languages and one-on-one coaching to build digital confidence.

Over the past two years, for example, FINCA Tajikistan’s Women’s Club has delivered more than 140 digital financial literacy training sessions across the country. From urban centers to the most remote villages, FINCA’s trainers are equipping women with the knowledge and confidence to safely navigate digital financial tools and take control of their financial futures.

FINCA’s women customers are embracing these new, convenient options. Currently in Eurasia, more than half of all transactions are made via cash-in terminals, internet banking, point-of-service devices, and mobile banking.

Education as a Catalyst for Success

We believe that education is a cornerstone of empowerment. In addition to offering coaching in use of digital tools, FINCA embeds basic financial planning and business coaching into our loan process, especially for first-time borrowers. We also offer in-depth business development and marketing courses to equip women entrepreneurs with knowledge that helps them succeed.

Our Global Learning and Development Center in Pristina, Kosovo, works with industry experts to develop free, in-depth courses which are translated for use in all of our countries. One flagship course, Fundamentals of Women Entrepreneurship Development, covers budgeting, financial planning, marketing, tax management, networking, and access to capital—equipping women with the skills to start and grow their businesses.

In June 2025, FINCA launched a climate resilience course within FINCA to help staff support customers. The training is especially important for women, who face the greatest risks from climate shocks.
Local initiatives amplify these global efforts. In Armenia, winners of the Women in Agriculture contest received expert advice and participated in a two-day training. In Azerbaijan, we partnered with the Business Partners Club to support women micro-entrepreneurs with limited financial resources.

Winners of FINCA Armenia’s Women in Agriculture contest listen to a speaker during a two-day training designed to foster community and build women’s agriculture expertise.

Savings Support helps Women Thrive

In Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, where FINCA has regulatory approval to take deposits, we promote a culture of saving by offering women customers higher interest rates, flexible withdrawal terms, and targeted financial education. These savings products help women build safety nets for business expansion, education, and emergencies.

Measuring Impact, Driving Progress

Key performance indicators, impact data, and continuous customer feedback help us evaluate our impact and identify areas where FINCA can make further improvements to better serve our customers.

Through in-depth customer surveys, we track how our services are improving people’s lives in the ways that matter most. Each year, we gather insights on everything from savings behavior and income generation to the ability to cover essential expenses like healthcare and education. For example, our 2023 survey revealed that 96% of women in Kosovo said FINCA improved their financial lives, and 64% of women in Tajikistan reported increased earnings. We also learned that, across Eurasia:

• Women customers demonstrate strong financial discipline, with a PAR30 (portfolio at risk over 30 days) of just 3.3%, compared to 4.1% for men.
• Women-led businesses supported by FINCA create over 130,000 jobs annually.
• Nearly one in three households served by FINCA has a woman as the primary earner.

FINCA Kyrgyzstan customer who, with FINCA’s help, built a paving stone and block business that supports three employees.

Empowering Women Within Our Workforce

We believe our workforce should reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. Gender balance isn’t just a matter of fairness—it’s a driver of innovation, connection, and performance. Women bring unique perspectives, challenge the status quo, and often share lived experiences with our clients, helping us build deeper, more authentic relationships.
FINCA’s Opportunity and Access Steering Committee sets clear gender parity goals across our global network. These goals are embedded into each subsidiary’s operating plan, ensuring alignment, accountability, and measurable progress.
We’re proud of the strides we’ve made:

• 59% of FINCA employees in Eurasia are women.
• 38% of supervisory roles in Eurasia are held by women.
• Three out of five Eurasian subsidiary boards are at least 60% women, with the remaining boards closing in on our 50% target.

To further accelerate leadership development, we launched a global women’s leadership program in 2024, engaging nearly 250 participants. In 2025, we followed up with a mentorship initiative to support program graduates and deepen their impact. And local efforts are also making a difference. In Kyrgyzstan, a targeted coaching program helped increase the share of women in management from 38% in 2019 to 53% in 2023. In Kosovo, our successors program raised the percentage of women in head office management from 0% to 37% in just six years.
These results reflect our commitment to creating a workplace where women thrive—and where everyone benefits from a more inclusive, representative, and empowered workforce.

A Brighter Future, Built by Women

Earning the 2025 Global SME Finance Forum Award is more than a milestone—it’s a reminder of what’s possible. When women have equal access to finance, markets, and skills. They don’t just build businesses, they create jobs, strengthen families, and fuel local economies.

According to the World Bank, closing gender gaps in employment and entrepreneurship could boost global GDP by more than 20%. That’s not just economic growth, it’s inclusive, sustainable development.

At FINCA, we believe that empowering women is a powerful way to build a better future and we’re committed to continuing this work, across Eurasia and around the world.