Financing Women Collaborative Hosts Third Convening to Strengthen Credit Access for Women Entrepreneurs

Mumbai, December 11, 2025: The Financing Women Collaborative (FWC), an initiative under the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) incubated at NITI Aayog, held its third convening in Mumbai on December 6 to accelerate women’s access to finance and advance India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 goals through women-led development. The convening was organised in partnership with TransUnion CIBIL, the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and MicroSave Consulting (MSC) at SIDBI’s Mumbai office. 

The event brought together senior representatives from NITI Aayog, the Ministry of Finance, the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), public and private banks, financial service providers and development organisations working to support women-led enterprises. Established in 2018 as an aggregator platform, WEP transitioned to a public–private partnership in 2022 and now has over 45 institutional partners.

FWC was launched in 2023 to close the gender financing gap by improving coordination among financial ecosystem players. Chaired by SIDBI and co-chaired by TransUnion CIBIL, with MSC as the secretariat, FWC serves as a multi-stakeholder platform promoting collaboration, research and gender-responsive practices in lending.

The convening focused on making financial inclusion more gender-intelligent by recognising that women entrepreneurs often have distinct financial behaviours and require customised credit solutions. Participants also emphasised that financial inclusion should be measured not only by access but by usage of formal financial services.

Smt. Anna Roy, Mission Director, WEP and Programme Director, NITI Aayog, said, “Financing Women Collaborative (FWC) under the Women Entrepreneurship Platform brings together supply-side stakeholders across the financial sector under one roof and discuss how they perceive the problem of bridging the credit gap when it comes to women entrepreneurs. Once we assess these gaps, WEP through its various initiatives will attempt to address these gaps and ensure more women become credit-ready and financeable.”

Key policymakers and financial sector leaders shared insights during the session.
Shri Manoj Muttathil Ayyappan, Joint Secretary, DFS, noted, “Skill development, capital needs, and credit gaps must be addressed simultaneously for meaningful entrepreneurial growth.”

Shri Manoj Mittal, CMD, SIDBI (Chair, FWC), highlighted the need for systemic reforms, saying,
“There is a need for systemic change rather than isolated schemes, focused on long-term capacity and financing. A structured and continuous mentorship ecosystem is critical, along with consistent platforms that create and showcase women role models.”

Shri Atul Kumar Goel, CEO, IBA, added, “Opportunities for new-to-credit customers must be intentionally created through sustained awareness and a coordinated, collaborative approach.”

Reaffirming the banking sector’s support, Smt. Manju Sharma Jha of SBI, said, “Today, it's not just an event, it is a milestone. At SBI, we reconfirm and reaffirm our commitment to deepening credit access for women led MSMEs, supporting startup with tailored financial solutions, promoting formalization and digital enablement and acting as a long-term financial partner in your growth journey.”

The convening also featured a panel discussion on how banks can tap into the market potential of underserved women entrepreneurs, moderated by senior journalist Ms. Mythili Bhusnurmath. The session enabled participants to exchange ideas and identify actionable approaches to build a more gender-responsive financial ecosystem.