Publication: Banking on Women Who Trade Across Borders
Loading...
Date
2024-06-21
ISSN
Published
2024-06-21
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Banking on Women Who Trade Across Borders highlights the need for gender equality in international trade and trade finance, emphasizing its importance for sustainable development in emerging markets. The positive impact that women-led enterprises have on economic growth and poverty reduction is well documented, however there remains a limited understanding of how international trade intersects with female participation, particularly in accessing trade finance. Women entrepreneurs and women-owned enterprises face several challenges in accessing trade finance, including gender bias, limited networks, and information disparities; these are further exacerbated by the business practices of trade finance markets. This report examines the status of women’s access to trade finance, and provides potential solutions derived from interviews with women entrepreneurs and financial institutions in Brazil, Kenya, and Nigeria. Gender and Access to Finance (Chapter 2) summarizes the documentary evidence for the specific challenges women led firms encounter in accessing trade finance, examining the systemic barriers such as small business size, relatively young business age, and the informal status of many women-owned businesses. These barriers persist, despite previous efforts to dismantle them, indicating deeply ingrained biases within capital markets and societies. Stringent collateral requirements, the scale of business activity needed to justify relevant financial instruments, complex documentation processes, the absence of market information, and sectoral disparities in trade finance availability are identified as specific hindrances to women’s ability to access trade finance. The connectivity between these factors demonstrates the need for targeted intervention to address the gender gap in trade finance for women who trade across borders. Country Studies, Results from Brazil, Kenya, and Nigeria (Chapter 3) presents the outcome of interviews conducted with over 200 women in three different emerging economies and provides a real-time portrait of the financial difficulties and common challenges encountered by women-owned firms engaged in cross-border trade. Scaling up Trade Finance for Women-Owned Firms (Chapter 4) provides strategies designed to increase women’s access to trade finance, such as focusing on reducing the information deficit, simplifying financial instruments through digitization, promoting fintech, and increasing capacity building for both firms and financial institutions. The main results of this study and a call to action for all stakeholders, finance providers and development finance institutions, government and regulatory bodies, and women led businesses, are summarized in Recommendations and Action Items (Chapter 5).
Link to Data Set
Citation
“International Finance Corporation (IFC). 2024. Banking on Women Who Trade Across Borders. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/41757 License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Sourcing2Equal Kenya(Washington, DC, 2021-06)Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) make up a large part of Kenya’s economy, accounting for approximately 98 percent of all businesses. SMEs are found in all sectors of the economy, they are estimated to contribute about 80 percent of total employment in Kenya, and they play a central role in Kenya’s economic growth. Women’s ownership of formal SMEs is low, comprising only about one third of registered SMEs. Women-owned and led SMEs (WSMEs) face structural barriers in growing their businesses due to their limited access to: finance, business networks and connections, and market information. Consequently, these barriers limit WSMEs’ ability to access new markets, such as procurement contracts with private sector Buyers. In 2020, IFC established Sourcing2Equal, a global program that aims to connect 5,000 WSMEs to private procurement opportunities by 2023. The first project under the program is in Kenya. This report examines the barriers that Kenyan SMEs face in accessing private procurement contracts, and if there are differences based on whether companies are owned by women, men, or owned jointly by women and men. Analysis of survey data from 571 SMEs, and interviews with 14 corporate Buyers in Kenya, provide unique data on gender gaps in the participation of SMEs in corporate supply chains, and it reveals emerging practices that are aiming to increase the procurement of goods and services from WSMEs. The sample of formally registered SMEs was selected from a defined population in business membership organizations’ databases, rather than from a national census dataset. Due to the potential risk of homogeneity in the sample, the statistically significant results of this study should not be assumed to be representative of the whole SME populationPublication Why Banks in Emerging Markets Are Increasingly Providing Non-financial Services to Small and Medium Enterprises(Washington, DC, 2012)Banks in emerging markets are increasingly providing non-financial services to their SME clients, typically consisting of information sharing, training and consultancy. This study, published by IFC in partnership with the Austrian Government, is the first to explore reasons behind this trend, finding that banks' key motivations include attracting and retaining customers, and strengthening portfolio quality. The report consists of an overview followed by case studies of three banks, namely Türk Ekonomi Bankasý (TEB), Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), and ICICI Bank. It is estimated that there are 365 to 445 million formal and informal micro, small, and medium enterprises, with a subset of 25 to 35 million formal SMEs, in the developing world. Of these, 70 percent do not use external financing from financial institutions, although they are in need of it. Approximately 85 percent suffer from credit constraints.Publication The Gender Labor Productivity Gap across Informal Firms(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-04)This study uncovers a gender labor productivity gap among informal firms in 14 developing economies. The results show that labor productivity is approximately 15.2 percent (or 0.165 log point) lower among women-owned than men-owned informal firms. Decomposition techniques reveal several factors that contribute to lower labor productivity of women-owned informal firms relative to men-owned informal firms. These include lower education, lower experience, lower capitalization, and less protection from crime among women owners than men owners of informal firms. However, the smaller size of the women-owned firms and their greater return from producing or selling under contract and from security payments narrows the productivity gap. The results provide several specific and general policy recommendations for improving the labor productivity of women-owned informal firms and closing the gap with male-owned informal firms. For one, a substantial amount of the productivity gap can be closed by providing more resources to women such as education, managerial experience, and physical capital. The study also provides some preliminary results on another important policy objective —the costs and benefits of formalization as perceived by women-owned versus men-owned informal firms.Publication SMEs and Women-owned SMEs in Mongolia : Market Research Study(Washington, DC, 2014)Chapter one summarizes the scope of the study and outlines its key objectives. It explains the rationale for collecting data on SMEs in Mongolia in general and women-owned SMEs in particular. It also provides recommendations for integrating the insights form the study into the on-the-ground practice of SME banking, as well as potential interventions on the regulatory and policy level. Chapter two begins with the analysis of the general macroeconomic context and provides an overview of the SME sector in Mongolia. The chapter analyzes the latest trends in development of the business environment and the legal framework relevant for SMEs and women-owned SMEs. Chapter three examines the aspect of supply in financial and non-financial products and services currently offered to SMEs by commercial banks and non-bank financial institutions. It also reviews the support provided to SMEs by international financial institutions. Chapter four provides detailed overview of the findings of the demand study, explores the features of SMEs, their relationships with banks and NBFIs as well as aspects of current use of bank loans. The chapter further analyzes the usage and demand for other banking products and services by SMEs. Chapter five summarizes the key constraints faced by the SMEs and female-owned SMEs revealed in the interviews with stakeholders and the face to-face interviews with business owners. Finally, chapter six uses the findings to draw conclusions and recommendations on possible measures to address the challenges of SMEs and women-owned SMEs specifically at different stakeholder levels: governmental and regulatory authorities, international finance institutions, financial institutions and SME development organizations.Publication Investing in Women’s Employment : Good for Business, Good for Development(Washington, DC, 2013-10)Economic growth is more robust and sustainable when women and men alike participate fully in the labor market. Better jobs for women, employment that leads to higher wages and greater decision-making, also have a positive influence on the ways households spend money on children s nutrition, health, and education. Meanwhile, companies that invest in women s employment gain an important competitive advantage. Yet despite the persuasive evidence that gender equality has a transformative effect on productivity and growth, women s full economic and productive potential remains unrealized in many parts of the world. Globally, while women s education levels have increased and educated women now earn more than their uneducated peers, gender gaps in labor-market participation and wage levels persist. Women continue to be underrepresented in formal and higher value-added employment. This report, investing in women s employment: good for Business, good for development, is the first result of the WINvest initiative. It draws on members experiences and encourages business to tap and manage female talent in emerging and developing markets.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication The Mexican Social Protection System in Health(World Bank, Washington DC, 2013-01)With a population of 113 million and a per-capita Gross Domestic Product, or GDP of US$10,064 (current U.S. dollars), Mexico is one of the largest and highest-income countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The country has benefited from sustained economic growth during the last decade, which was temporarily interrupted by the financial and economic crisis. Real GDP is projected to grow 3.8 percent and 3.6 percent in 2012 and 2013, respectively (International Monetary Fund, or IMF 2012). Despite this growth, poverty in the country remains high; with half of the population living below the national poverty line. The country is also highly heterogeneous, with large socioeconomic differences across states and across urban and rural areas. In 2010, while the extreme poverty ratio in the Federal District and the states of Colima and Nuevo Leon was below 3 percent, in Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca it was 25 percent or higher. These large regional differences are also found in other indicators of well-being, such as years of schooling, housing conditions, and access to social services. This case study assesses key features and achievements of the Social Protection System in Health (Sistema de Proteccion Social en Salud) in Mexico, and particularly of its main pillar, Popular Health Insurance (Seguro Popular, PHI). It analyzes the contribution of this policy to the establishment and implementation of universal health coverage in Mexico. In 2003, with the reform of the General Health Law, the PHI was institutionalized as a subsidized health insurance scheme open to the population not covered by the social security schemes. Today, the PHI covers all of its intended affiliates, about 52 million peoplePublication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.Publication Europe and Central Asia Economic Update, Fall 2024: Better Education for Stronger Growth(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-17)Economic growth in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) is likely to moderate from 3.5 percent in 2023 to 3.3 percent this year. This is significantly weaker than the 4.1 percent average growth in 2000-19. Growth this year is driven by expansionary fiscal policies and strong private consumption. External demand is less favorable because of weak economic expansion in major trading partners, like the European Union. Growth is likely to slow further in 2025, mostly because of the easing of expansion in the Russian Federation and Turkiye. This Europe and Central Asia Economic Update calls for a major overhaul of education systems across the region, particularly higher education, to unleash the talent needed to reinvigorate growth and boost convergence with high-income countries. Universities in the region suffer from poor management, outdated curricula, and inadequate funding and infrastructure. A mismatch between graduates' skills and the skills employers are seeking leads to wasted potential and contributes to the region's brain drain. Reversing the decline in the quality of education will require prioritizing improvements in teacher training, updated curricula, and investment in educational infrastructure. In higher education, reforms are needed to consolidate university systems, integrate them with research centers, and provide reskilling opportunities for adult workers.Publication World Development Report 1987(New York: Oxford University Press, 1987)This report, consisting of two parts, is the tenth in the annual series assessing development issues. Part I reviews recent trends in the world economy and their implications for the future prospects of developing countries. It stresses that better economic performance is possible in both industrial and developing countries, provided the commitment to economic policy reforms is maintained and reinforced. In regard to the external debt issues, the report argues for strengthened cooperation among industrial countries in the sphere of macroeconomic policy to promote smooth adjustment to the imbalances caused by external payments (in developing countries). Part II reviews and evaluates the varied experience with government policies in support of industrialization. Emphasis is placed on policies which affect both the efficiency and sustainability of industrial transformation, especially in the sphere of foreign trade. The report finds that developing countries which followed policies that promoted the integration of their industrial sector into the international economy through trade have fared better than those which insulated themselves from international competition.Publication Global Economic Prospects, June 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-06-11)After several years of negative shocks, global growth is expected to hold steady in 2024 and then edge up in the next couple of years, in part aided by cautious monetary policy easing as inflation gradually declines. However, economic prospects are envisaged to remain tepid, especially in the most vulnerable countries. Risks to the outlook, while more balanced, are still tilted to the downside, including the possibility of escalating geopolitical tensions, further trade fragmentation, and higher-for-longer interest rates. Natural disasters related to climate change could also hinder activity. Subdued growth prospects across many emerging market and developing economies and continued risks underscore the need for decisive policy action at the global and national levels. Global Economic Prospects is a World Bank Group Flagship Report that examines global economic developments and prospects, with a special focus on emerging market and developing economies, on a semiannual basis (in January and June). Each edition includes analytical pieces on topical policy challenges faced by these economies.