Resilient value chains are built on inclusive supply networks

Women led businesses remain essential to global value chains, yet they continue to face structural barriers that restrict access to trade finance and supply chain finance. At the IFC Women in Trade Network Roundtable in Lisbon, leaders examined the one point nine trillion dollar financing gap affecting women owned SMEs and the persistent obstacles highlighted in IFC research, including disproportionate collateral requirements, gender based pricing and limited access to information and markets. Findings from the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law report show that legal equality remains incomplete, enforcement is weak and supportive frameworks for women entrepreneurs are often missing, particularly in areas such as asset ownership and gender responsive procurement.

The roundtable also focused on practical solutions to expand access to working capital. Banks, multilateral development institutions and digital platforms are collaborating to redesign risk models, improve data availability and support women led businesses through blended finance, lower rate loan products and clearer data standards. In conflict affected regions, efforts are centred on helping women who have taken on business leadership out of necessity. The event closed with a call to embed inclusion into the structure of trade finance and challenge outdated assumptions about creditworthiness. When capital reaches women entrepreneurs, supply networks become more resilient and markets become stronger.