Global best practice research to advise on gender-intelligent banking (women-led SMEs)

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) wanted to understand in detail which practices have emerged as successful ways of reaching, engaging, serving and retaining female owners and managers of SMEs

In the context of launching a dedicated gender strategy and preparing for its strategic and policy dialogue with banks and other stakeholders, EBRD wanted to understand in detail which practices have emerged as successful ways of reaching, engaging, serving and retaining female owners and managers of SMEs (dubbed “Women in Business”). The findings were particularly intended to guide subsequent technical assistance to partner financial institutions. EBRD contracted the global-leading network and think-tank for financial inclusion for Women, Women’s World Banking (WWB) for this assignment. Building on a long-standing collaboration on related topics, WWB brought on board CCX with Benedikt Wahler.

Central objectives were:

1) Provide a global screen of banking offers for women SME

2) Identify best practices and ways to put them into practice

In alignment with WWB, CCX set out the research approach, and led the effort for identifying banks to portray, conducted expert interviews (drawing also on CCX wide network of professional contacts) as well as the interviews with bank executives from selected best practice institutes and performed the majority of analysis including a site-visit in Costa Rica. Jointly with WWB’s project manager these findings were then distilled into a report format and six key steps. An extended report was presented to a wide range of EBRD-internal stakeholders at an in-house event, and an abridged report was published – it forms a key input for banks willing to partner with EBRD in the WIB Programme

  • Co-develop the research approach and identify relevant primary and secondary sources
  • Conduct expert interviews for leads to offers, discuss gender-specific needs & circumstances and identify lessons-learned in the field
  • Identify financial institutions with value proposition targeted at women-led SMEs
  • Shortlist 40 out of 90 and inspect in detail these value propositions identify superior
  • Assess digital finance components for easier reach of female clients
  • Assess non-financial components for scalability (digitally-enabled, if feasible)
  • Prepare and conduct a site visit in Costa Rica
  • Conduct interviews with bank executives to explore in more detail the success factors (strategic and operational) behind best practices
  • Derive 6 elements/patterns constituting best practices for serving women-led SME
  • Preparation of report (incl. version for publication) to support EBRD’s future work for women entrepreneurs with banks & other stakeholders