Women and Credit: Access to credit for micro and small female entrepreneurs, India

• Sep 5, 2025
• 1 min

MSC partnered with SEWA Bharat to research women entrepreneurs’ credit journey and experiences. The report ‘Women and Credit: Access to Credit for Micro and Small Female Entrepreneurs in India’ follows the micro and small women entrepreneurs’ credit journey and explores demand and supply-side factors. It shares insights on credit requirements, experiences, challenges, and key credit success determinants for individual and collective women-led enterprises. It also shares the supply-side experiences of bankers and other organizations and some good practices that supply-side stakeholders implement to mitigate and distribute credit risk.

Drawing on global evidence, expert interviews, and practitioner insights, the study provided a nuanced understanding of the structural, institutional, and social barriers that limit women’s access to formal finance. It shed light on the design and delivery gaps in existing credit products, the underutilization of gender-disaggregated data, and the potential for inclusive innovation in lending. The findings have informed product and policy recommendations to help financial service providers, regulators, and support organizations better serve women borrowers. The study has contributed to the sector by framing access to credit as not just a financial issue, but a matter of equity and economic empowerment.

Ultimately, it provides key recommendations to enhance access to credit for women entrepreneurs.