5th Annual Forum on Expanding Women’s Participation in the Economy: The Women Entrepreneurs Finance Code in Asia and the Pacific

Time of Event

25 March: 13:00-18:00 
26 March: 09:00-17:15
27 March: 09:00-17:00

Summary

Over 400 million women entrepreneurs around the world have vast potential to grow their businesses, adding value to the economy and creating jobs. However, they lack the financing to achieve their goals. They represent a $1.7 trillion growth opportunity for financial service providers and $5 trillion–$6 trillion potential value addition to the global economy. The Women Entrepreneurs (WE) Finance Code was developed with finance leaders from more than 30 private and public sector organizations to build upon the success of the United Kingdom’s Investing in Women Code and close the finance and data gaps affecting women entrepreneurs. It was officially launched in October 2023 at the World Bank–International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings in Marrakech and is being piloted in 26 countries across the world, including three of the Asian Development Bank’s developing member countries, Fiji, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka.

The 5th Annual Forum on Expanding Women’s Participation in the Economy will focus on the WE Finance Code and establishing a robust women-business focused ecosystem that increases investments for women-owned/led micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (WMSMEs). It will bring together WE Finance Code champions from across the globe, experts from international organizations, and representatives from ADB’s developing member countries, to discuss policy recommendations and share country experiences. Sessions will cover updates on the Code in the piloting countries, aligning and adopting WMSME definitions, institutionalizing WMSME sex-disaggregated data into regulatory frameworks, developing digital-based data solutions, how to analyze and use data to drive business decisions, and how to build stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors.

Objectives

• Build understanding of the WE Finance Code and why it is a critical ingredient to stimulate women participation in the economy 
• Equip policymakers with knowledge about the Code and instruments to design adequate policies to support this agenda 
• Build a network of private and public actors to support this agenda in Asia and the Pacific 

Target Participants

• Policymakers from Asian Development Bank member economies
• Experts from ADBI, ADB, IsDB, and other international organizations
• WE Finance Code champions 
• Representatives from central banks
• Signatory financial service providers who signed onto or would like to sign the Code
• Data aggregators  

Output

• Enhanced understanding of the critical role of data collection, aggregation, analysis, digital solutions and best practices to support women entrepreneurs 
• Increased policymakers’ capacity to assess and develop policy tools and regulatory frameworks supporting investment in women led enterprises to grow their businesses, add value to the economy, and create jobs in the region
• Dialogue and networking among various government agencies, international organizations, and private sector 

How to Register

By invitation or prior arrangement with ADBI

Partners

• Asian Development Bank
• Islamic Development Bank