Oschadbank has officially joined the global WE Finance Code initiative by signing a letter of intent. Participation in the program confirms the bank’s commitment to expanding financing opportunities for women-led businesses, implementing international best practices in supporting entrepreneurship, and helping to remove barriers to access to financial resources.
By signing the letter of intent, Oschadbank has committed to ensuring the systematic development of its women’s entrepreneurship support initiatives, tracking and analyzing gender-based financing metrics, and expanding specialized products and programs for women entrepreneurs. Upon completion of the transition period, the bank will report on the fulfillment of these commitments to the National Bank of Ukraine for their subsequent inclusion in the annual global reporting under the WE Finance Code.
In Ukraine, the initiative is being implemented by the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture, the National Bank of Ukraine, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The Ministry serves as the national coordinator for the WE Finance Code and ensures the coordination of the coalition’s activities. The WE Finance Code coalition includes banks, credit unions, leasing companies, and relevant financial sector associations, and with Oschadbank’s accession, its membership continues to grow.
Joining the WE Finance Code is a logical continuation of Oschadbank’s systematic efforts to support women’s entrepreneurship. As of the end of June 2026, the loan portfolio for women-led businesses in the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) segment reached 5.2 billion UAH. By comparison, at the beginning of 2022, this figure stood at 1.3 billion UAH; in other words, during the period of full-scale war, the volume of lending to women-owned businesses has quadrupled.
Today, women entrepreneurs account for 34% of Oschadbank’s MSME loan portfolio. In addition, they account for 40% of all recipients of non-repayable grants, which the bank verifies and supports as part of national and international entrepreneurship support programs.
“During the full-scale war, Oschadbank’s loan portfolio for women-led businesses has quadrupled—to 5.2 billion UAH. This is the best proof that women entrepreneurs remain one of our most dynamic client groups. We see their resilience, adaptability, and strong financial discipline even under the current extremely challenging conditions. That is precisely why we are successfully developing our own “Women’s Business” ecosystem, which offers not just financing, but comprehensive solutions for starting and scaling a business. It is a great honor for us to join the global WE Finance Code community. We are convinced that market leaders must not only implement best practices but also set the direction for development. That is why we have set an ambitious goal for ourselves—to work with other participants in the initiative to create new financial solutions that will expand opportunities for Ukrainian women entrepreneurs and promote the development of this sector in Ukraine,” — said Natalia Butkova-Vitvitska, a member of Oschadbank’s board of directors responsible for MSMEs.
An important component of this work is Oschadbank’s own “Women’s Business” ecosystem, which provides comprehensive support to women entrepreneurs. The program offers financing for startups to purchase franchises of up to 5 million UAH and for agricultural projects—up to 10 million UAH, preferential lending terms with a deferral of principal repayment for 7–9 months, competitive interest rates, fast processing of loan applications, the option to submit documents online, personalized assistance from a manager, and consulting support.
WE Finance Code is a global multilateral initiative aimed at expanding women entrepreneurs’ access to financing. Today, it is being implemented in more than 30 countries worldwide and brings together financial institutions, regulators, business associations, and international partners to develop the financial ecosystem for women’s entrepreneurship.
female entrepreneur, LOAN, MSMEs, OSCHADBANK, WE Finance Code
