Female entrepreneurs default less on loans than men, Moniepoint report finds

The report highlights a significant shift in micro, small, and medium enterprise financing, noting that loans to women-owned businesses surged by over 300 percent in 2025. This increase brought the allocation to female portfolios to 36 percent of Moniepoint’s total disbursed credit, surpassing the traditional industry benchmark of 16 to 25 percent. For 62 percent of surveyed female business owners, this marked their first formal business loan through the platform, and overall, three out of four merchants securing credit were first-time borrowers.

The report suggests that access to credit for women leads to improved repayment rates and business stability. In 2025, over $700 million in credit was disbursed to MSMEs, with beneficiaries experiencing a 36 percent average increase in transaction value, 86 percent reporting higher earnings, and 88 percent confirming business expansion. Businesses supported by Moniepoint employed over eight million people in 2025, and 27 percent of surveyed merchants expanded their workforce after receiving funding.