On 12 March 2018, KIT Royal Tropical Institute, FMO, Better Future and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted an event on how we can make finance work for women entrepreneurs.

Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands offered the keynote speech at the event.

“Around 80 percent of formal, women-owned MSMEs do not have access to the financing they need. This represents a $1.7 trillion finance gap. But there are significant opportunities that could make a difference.”

Queen Máxima – KIT’s patron – is also the UN Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.

More than 180 participants joined the event. These included representatives from banks and financial institutions that invest in emerging markets, women entrepreneurs from emerging markets, women business networks and organisations, NGO’s, policy makers and academics.

Supporting women entrepreneurs: improving livelihoods through financial inclusion

The event aimed to promote dialogue on how to transform financial organisations and build new partnerships to better serve women entrepreneurs in emerging markets. Within this context, a top priority is enhancing the quality, accessibility and affordability of services to these women. This will ensure the availability of financial services and products that match their needs and support them to improve their livelihoods and businesses.

The event also highlighted the importance of much-needed sex-disaggregated data to measure financial performance and the impact of serving the women’s market. It also showcased innovative and multi-stakeholder approaches that unlock the women’s market business case and truly forge a more gender inclusive way of financing.

Other keynote speakers included:

• Moderator Ms. Victoria Foster: Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Better Future U.S.
• Ms. Uthara Narayanan: Chief Changemaker & Manager Trustee, Buzz India
• Ms. Saskia Vossenberg: Senior Advisor & Researcher Gender & Financial Inclusion and Women’s Entrepreneurship, KIT