Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 2, 2026
2 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
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Fasanara Capital and the IFC are launching a $100 million lending initiative targeting women‑owned small businesses in developing economies. The program leverages fintech platforms to identify borrowers and aims to narrow the $5.7 trillion global SME financing gap, with women-owned firms disproporti
LONDON, March 2 (Reuters) - Global investment platform Fasanara Capital and the International Finance Corporation are launching an initiative to lend to women-owned small businesses in the developing world with some $100 million in firepower.
The launch comes as developing world borrowers seek new sources of cash amid a broad Western aid pullback - and as private lenders seek the higher margins emerging markets offer.
The project will offer loans that would average $50,000 dollars to thousands to women-owned businesses identified using fintech platforms, Fasanara Chief Executive Francesco Filia told Reuters.
Filia said the effort is likely to garner additional private investment, including potential institutional capital. He declined to comment on its size, but a source said it was likely to launch with roughly $100 million.
"There has been more of a need, more of a pressure to build up alternative resources of access to capital," Filia said, adding that small businesses "are in desperate need of funding because banks...focus on mainstream clients, large corporate clients."
In a news release, Fasanara and the IFC said that globally, small businesses face a $5.7 trillion financing gap, with women-owned firms hit the hardest.
Mohamed Gouled, IFC vice president for products and clients, said expanding access to financing for small businesses was "one of the most effective ways to support job creation in emerging markets."
Fasanara relies on more than 100 different fintech platforms in dozens of countries to identify and filter potential borrowers
(Reporting by Libby George; Editing by Amanda Cooper)
The initiative aims to provide approximately $100 million in loans to women-owned small businesses in developing countries.
The project is a collaboration between Fasanara Capital and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
The average loan amount for women-owned businesses will be around $50,000.
Women-owned firms face the largest financing gap globally, making access to capital crucial for their growth and job creation in emerging markets.
Fasanara Capital uses over 100 different fintech platforms in dozens of countries to identify and filter potential women-owned business borrowers.
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