Albania, EBRD launch initiative to improve financing access for women entrepreneurs

Albania’s central bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) launched an initiative aimed at improving access to finance for women-led and women-owned micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

The launch of the “WE Finance Code Albania” initiative at the Bank of Albania marked the start of a national partnership involving public institutions and financial-sector stakeholders to promote more inclusive access to finance, CE Report quotes ATA.

The event was opened by Bank of Albania Governor Gent Sejko and EBRD Managing Director for Financial Institutions Francis Malige.

Sejko said the initiative represented an important commitment to supporting women’s entrepreneurship through a data-driven approach, institutional cooperation and concrete measures. The Bank of Albania will serve as the national coordinator, leading efforts to build a joint ecosystem of public and financial institutions working towards a more inclusive financing market.

He also highlighted the central bank’s efforts to modernise the financial system by developing financial infrastructure, expanding access to financial services, strengthening financial literacy and improving the quality and use of financial data.

A key outcome of the initiative is the creation of a national analytical dashboard on MSME financing. The tool will integrate data on loans and deposits with business characteristics, including ownership by gender, company size, economic sector, region and legal form.

The dashboard will be publicly available on the Bank of Albania’s website and is intended to provide a new tool for market analysis, transparency and data-driven policymaking.

The launch of WE Finance Code Albania marks the beginning of a longer-term process in which participating institutions will work to improve data quality, monitor progress and create more favourable conditions for women’s entrepreneurship in Albania.

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