Female entrepreneurs across the region are proving to be remarkably resilient credit risks, demonstrating loan repayment records far superior to their male counterparts. According to Moniepoint’s 2025 Impact Report, default rates among women-owned businesses were 2.5 times lower than those of male borrowers. This impressive credit discipline helped drive a massive shift in micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) financing over the past year, with total loans extended to female-led businesses surging by over 300 percent in 2025. Consequently, female portfolio allocation reached 36 percent of Moniepoint’s total disbursed credit significantly outpacing the traditional industry benchmark of 16 to 25 percent as part of broader fintech efforts to bridge the persistent gender credit gap in emerging markets.
For most of these women, formal credit access represents a brand-new financial milestone. The report highlights that 62 percent of surveyed female business owners received their very first formal business loan through the platform, while three out of four total credit recipients across the institution's network were first-time borrowers entering the formal system. Moniepoint emphasized that providing capital to women creates an undeniable ripple effect on both repayment reliability and overall business stability.
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The broader macroeconomic benefits of this expanded credit access have been substantial, with over $700 million in total credit disbursed to MSMEs throughout 2025. Merchants receiving these facilities recorded an average transaction value increase of 36 percent, while 86 percent reported higher earnings and 88 percent confirmed expanding their operations. Alongside this growth, Moniepoint processed over $250 billion in total transaction volume across its retail and commercial channels, serving more than 20 million businesses and individuals. Crucially, this influx of capital supported real-world employment, with Moniepoint-backed businesses employing over eight million people in 2025 and 27 percent of surveyed merchants explicitly expanding their workforces after receiving funding.
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