NDI and FinanceHER join forces to support women entrepreneurs

The National Development Institution has signed a partnership memorandum with the national initiative FinanceHER, aimed at expanding the opportunities of Ukrainian women entrepreneurs to access financing.

FinanceHER is implemented by the “CSR Development” Center and the National Network of Hubs for Women Entrepreneurs U&WE HUB. The initiative brings together government institutions, banks, international partners, and businesses to build a more accessible financial ecosystem for women starting or growing their own business.

The partnership involves jointly implementing activities aimed at reducing barriers for women entrepreneurs in accessing financing, including training for banks and preparing women entrepreneurs for effective cooperation with financial institutions.

“Supporting women’s entrepreneurship is an investment in the resilience of the Ukrainian economy and the development of communities. Today, women are increasingly starting their own businesses, creating jobs, and developing the economy even under wartime conditions. The partnership with FinanceHER complements state business support tools and will help even more Ukrainian women entrepreneurs gain access to financial opportunities to grow their own business,” said Andriy Hapon, Chairman of the Board of NDI.

The need for such a partnership is confirmed by the results of a study by Abt Britain and KSE (2024): 71% of Ukrainian women entrepreneurs started their business using only their own funds, while just 15% used bank lending. The most common barriers remain high interest rates and low trust in the banking system.

For its part, the “CSR Development” Center views the partnership as confirmation that the issue of women’s access to financing continues to develop within the public sector.

“Signing the memorandum with the National Development Institution is a landmark moment for FinanceHER. When a government institution of this level joins the initiative alongside international partners, it means that women’s access to financing is becoming part of systemic state policy. We believe that joint efforts — both in cooperation with banks and with entrepreneurs themselves — will allow us to take significant steps toward enabling women in our country to fully realize their business potential,” said Maryna Saprykina, head of the “CSR Development” Center and founder of U&WE HUB.