📈 Women-Led MSMEs Secure Rs. 145.5 Bn in Banking Loans Under New Code

Women entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka have made significant strides in credit access during the first year of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance (WE Finance) Code implementation, according to the Finance Ministry's inaugural 2025/26 annual report. • Overall Figures & Credit Portfolio - Women-owned and women-led MSMEs held Rs. 559 Bn in outstanding loans as of end-March 2026. - Represents 28% of the nearly Rs. 2 Tn total MSME loan portfolio reported by 12 participating domestic banks. - Overall MSME portfolio accounts for ~20% of total private sector credit, which reached Rs. 10.14 Tn (+2.6% MoM). • New Lending & Approval Breakdown - Rs. 145.5 Bn in new loans approved for women-led businesses in 2025/26. - Women secured 26,087 loan approvals (30% of total approved MSME loans). - By value, women received 20% of the Rs. 709.84 Bn total new MSME loans disbursed. • Account Ownership vs. Credit Value - Women held 46% (~782,000) of the 1.7 Mn active MSME business loan accounts. - Highlights a gap: while account ownership is near-equal, loan value share remains lower at 28%. • Key Highlights & Framework - Launched in March 2025 with ADB assistance, making Sri Lanka South Asia’s first adopter. - Standardized national definition established across 13 participating financial institutions. - Central Bank (CBSL) now tracks gender-disaggregated data to improve financial inclusion and informal enterprise integration.