Summary
To improve women-owned small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) access to finance and know-how in Kazakhstan, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has developed the Financial Institutions Framework Kazakhstan Women in Business (the “FIF KazWiB”). The ultimate goal of the FIF KazWiB is to promote women entrepreneurship by improving women entrepreneurs’ access to finance and know-how, and promote a strong women SME sector. FIF KazWiB includes three components: (i) the dedicated Women in Business (WiB) Financing component; (ii) the Technical Cooperation component; and (iii) the WiB Small Business Support component.
Objectives
- Develop and establish new organizational structures, business models, and strategies as well as procedures to start or expand lending to women SMEs
- Promote access to finance for women entrepreneurs through targeted new product development
- Establish sound marketing measures for partner finance institutions (PFIs) as well as on the program level to broadly promote financial support, education, and initiatives dedicated to the support of women entrepreneurs
Activities and Approaches
- Conduct baseline assessment of each partner finance institution (PFI) in order to a) systematically describe patterns in women- and men-led SMEs’ use of and access to credit or lack thereof and on this basis, recommend how PFIs can improve their delivery of financial and non-financial products and services to women-led SMEs; and b) explain the reasons behind gender gaps in the use of and access to credit and non-financial services.
- Provide tailored capacity-building measures both at the institutional and staff levels such as integrating changes to institutions’ business models and delivery channels, and provide training and on-the-job coaching to field staff and management.
- Provide a gap analysis for the refinement of existing products, introduce product development methodology, and assist in the introduction of new Women in Business (WiB) products.
- Develop smart marketing and communication strategies.
Anticipated/Achieved Project Results
- Implement tailored capacity-building programs, including gender-sensitivity trainings
- Improve management information systems (MIS) at individual partner finance institutions (PFIs) to capture relevant gender desegregated data
- Introduce new financial products and/or refine current products to better suit the needs of women-led SMEs
- Develop or adjust marketing materials for WiB SME products at all PFIs
- Organize “Women in Business” seminar series in cooperation with PFIs and EBRD’s small business support (SBS) for at least 600 women SMEs
- Develop “Business Lens,” an online diagnostics tool
- Provide diagnostic services to at least 600 women SMEs
Funder: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Contact: Yamil Roger, YRoger@acdivoca.org
