Israel and the U.S. among the best places to be a woman entrepreneur as Covid shakes up ranking

Israel and the U.S. among the best places to be a woman entrepreneur as Covid shakes up ranking

Israel has charged past the U.S. and Switzerland to rank as the world's best place to be a woman entrepreneur, according to a new report released Monday.The Middle Eastern nation jumped up three places this year to steal the title from New Zealand after Covid-19 caused a shakeup in the annual Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE).The four frontrunners were joined in the top 10 for the first time by Poland, Sweden and Spain, which rose rapidly this year to form a geographically varied leading list. The U.K., Canada and Australia rounded out the top 10 as high-income economies fared better for female founders under the pandemic.Now in its fourth year, MIWE examines the working environments of 58 economies — representing almost 80% of the world's female labor force — to measure their success in fostering and advancing female entrepreneurship. Drawing on global data from the World Bank and OECD, the study assesses economies across indicators including access to education and financing, as well as other supporting factors.A top 10 on the moveLeader Israel took pole position for the first time this year thanks to a marked increase in its support for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) — jumping 41