Eliminating Gender Bias from Lending in Mexico
The Mexican fintech Konfío is eliminating gender bias by using fair algorithms to make lending decisions based only on applicants’ credit risk. A new IDB Invest study that measures the impact of a Konfío loan on company sales shows that women-led businesses have the most to gain.
Uncovering the Hidden Cost of Gender Biases in Lending to Women
Unconscious or not, gender biases leave millions of women on the sidelines of financial inclusion, and millions of dollars in foregone profits for banks on the table. Reducing gender bias in lending is key as the pandemic recedes, so that women-led businesses help to propel the recovery.
How Has Access to Credit Been Affected by the Pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean?
How has the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped financial markets in LAC? A new “credit” section in the IDB and IDB Invest Coronavirus Impact Dashboard offers some answers
Banking Agents, On the Frontlines of Financial Inclusion
Banking agents, or small shops contracted by banks to process client transactions, are laying the foundation for the digital transformation of the financial sector. They have also become a safer channel for clients to get cash during the pandemic.
How can character count toward identifying good credit clients?
The financing gap for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Latin America and the Caribbean was estimated at $1.2 trillion in 2017, nearly a quarter of the global emerging market total. If this gap were a country, not only would it be a credit desert for most inhabitants, but it would edge out Mexico as number 15 on the list of the world’s largest economies in terms of nominal gross domestic product (GDP).
How to Train Entrepreneurs? Don’t Overload Their Cognitive Bandwidth
Less is more when it comes to business training for entrepreneurs, especially for women whose cognitive bandwidth is already overtaxed by business and household demands.