Women-led businesses in Europe and Central Asia can now get specific help to secure loans

The World Bank identified 49 reasons why women-led businesses in Europe and Central Asia struggle to get loans and investment. It then listed 27 ways to fix these problems, from new loan structures to training programs for investors.

For years, development agencies have known that women-led businesses face financing gaps, but the specific barriers and effective solutions were often unclear. This paper provides a detailed map of those barriers and a menu of proven interventions. It means banks and investors now have a clearer roadmap for how to actually fund women entrepreneurs, rather than just acknowledging the problem.