On 11 and 12 June, Alliance for Financial Inclusion’s (AFI) Arab Regional Financial Inclusion Policy Initiative (ARFIPI) members met in Casablanca, for a  training on “Enabling Policies and Credit Infrastructure for Financial Inclusion of Women-owned MSMEs”. 

The meeting, co-hosted with Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM), assessed the state of financial inclusion for women-led businesses across the Arab region, aiming to identify key existing barriers, potential solutions, and policy frameworks to support access to finance. 

“In 2020, Bank Al-Maghrib, in partnership with the AFI  conducted an in-depth field study on the socio-economic status of rural women in Morocco,” said Fatima-Zahra Echihabi, Director of BAM’s Financial Inclusion & Sustainable Development Department. “The study’s key finding was that despite various constraints, the aspiration for financial independence remains strong.” 

“Women entrepreneurs in the Arab region face unique challenges that hinder their access to finance, including cultural barriers which limit access to collateral, as well as distrust and lack of financial understanding,” added Madhurantika Moulick, AFI’s Head of Capacity Building. “This training is designed to empower AFI members with insight into the MSME/WSME financial landscape, and guide them on how to develop and implement financial inclusion policies targeting women-led MSMEs.” 

You can learn more about AFI’s Capacity Building programs on our website.