UfM-UAB International Women’s Day event in Cairo breaks down gendered barriers to finance and networking opportunities

UfM-UAB International Women’s Day event in Cairo breaks down gendered barriers to finance and networking opportunities

NNA - The Union for the Mediterranean and the Union of Arab Banks marked International Womenrsquo;s Day by co-hosting Closing gender gaps in the MENA financial sector: towards women-led business development, a 2-day conference in the Egyptian capital aimed at reducing the high levels of entrepreneurial inequality between men and women. The first joint event since the signing of a cooperation agreement a month prior, the institutions worked hand in hand to bring together 100 public and private sector participants, highlighting initiatives and best practices that encourage female entrepreneurship and therefore promote more equitable regional growth.

Senior bankers, entrepreneurs, and other attendees took part in six panel discussions and roundtable talks on gender disparities in access to finance for business creation and development, the role of financial institutions and banks in promoting gender equality, the MENA female angel investment scene as well as on the role of fintech in bridging the gender gap, innovative practices to boost women#39;s financial inclusion, and accelerating the role of women in international trade.

The OECDrsquo;s Middle East and Africa Division took advantage of the event to present a euro;5m programme for the financial and digital inclusion of MENA women entrepreneurs, helping them overcome unfair lending practices,