Financing Solutions for Women-Led Enterprises

Women-led eco-enterprises are at the forefront of driving sustainable development and climate resilience across Asia and the Pacific. However, access to finance remains a significant barrier to scaling their impact. Despite growing recognition of their potential, women entrepreneurs often face systemic challenges in securing capital due to gender biases, limited collateral, and lack of tailored financial products.

As part of the five-part “Propelling Women Eco-Entrepreneurship into the Future” webinar series, this session will spotlight innovative financing mechanisms and solutions that can unlock capital for women-led green businesses. The session will explore how financial institutions, investors, and development partners can design inclusive financial instruments that empower women entrepreneurs to thrive in the green economy.

The webinar aims to:

• Highlight the financial barriers faced by women-led eco-enterprises and explore solutions to overcome them.
• Showcase innovative financing models, including gender-lens investing, tailored financial solutions, and digital financial services.
• Provide examples of accessible financing solutions and practical pathways for women entrepreneurs to access capital and scale their green ventures.
• Facilitate dialogue among stakeholders to foster partnerships and co-create enabling financial ecosystems.

The webinar targets women entrepreneurs and eco-enterprises in Asia and the Pacific as well as policymakers, investors, financial institutions, private sector actors, academics, researchers, and development partners interested in gender equality, sustainable finance, and climate action.

This webinar series is co-organized with ADB under the EmPower: Women for Climate-Resilient Societies (EmPower) Programme, a joint effort between UN Women and UNEP, supported by the Governments of Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, and Switzerland. EmPower is dedicated to empowering women and marginalized groups to take the lead in building resilient communities.

Speakers

• Moderator: Chieko Yokota, Gender Specialist, Gender Equality Division, ADB
• Aria Widyanto, Chief Risk and Sustainability Officer, Amartha Financial
• Carola Menzel, Sustainable Finance Expert, Women’s Finance Exchange, ADB
• Nguyen Thi Kim Phuong, Deputy Head of Corporate Banking, Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV)
• Parithad Petampai, CEO, Muangthai Capital Public Company Limited