WE Finance Code Study tour
The Study Tour will be a 1-day immersive program sharing lessons learned from more than 30+ WE Finance Code implementing countries, going in-depth into country Charters and Implementation Plans, and Gender Data journeys. What is working and what is not will be discussed openly in a collaborative learning atmosphere. This workshop is a unique opportunity to learn and network with the WE Finance Code CoC Members.
Who Attends?
The Community of Champions, consisting of Code Anchors from each WE Finance Code pilot country as well the UK and Netherlands.
Public and private sector Anchors might include:
- Bank regulator bodies i.e. Central Bank, Superintendent of Banks etc.
- Non-bank FSP regulator bodies i.e. of co-operatives, microfinance banks/NBFCS etc.
- Leading FSPs who want to champion the Code and/or trade associations of FSP Code signatories
- Government ministry responsible for supporting small industry development/ other policy makers
- Other, TBD
Why Attend?
Implementing the Code in your country requires working on three main axes: the National Coalition and building the charter, reporting and using sex-disaggregated data at the FSP level and aggregating it up to the national level through the WMSME Data Journey, and setting up the Code, governance structure, and implementation plan, which is called WE Finance Code Coalition Building.
The study tour will dive deeper into understanding the five different building blocks of the Code Implementation framework and roadmap. Participants will gain a better understanding of how to work with and adapt the Code national charter to their own country, including assigning roles and responsibilities, building the Code governance, and setting a strategy for recruiting signatories. Participants will also learn the process of agreeing on a national definition for Women-owned/led Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, in addition to understanding the key steps to build the gender data journey.
The study tour is a yearly opportunity for thought leaders and global champions from 30+ code countries to convene and share their stories, experiences, best practice examples, know-how, lessons learned, and progress toward bridging the financing gap for WMSMEs.
Date
May 30, 2025
Time
8:30 am to 5:00 pm Kigali, Rwanda
Location
Kigali Convention Centre, Kigali, Rwanda
Languages
The operating language of the WE Finance Code Study tour will be English. Spanish and Russian interpretation is provided.
Register
Please nominate your representative(s) by filling out the registration form. Participants in the WE Finance Code Study Tour are also invited to attend the Annual Financial Alliance for Women Summit 2025. This Summit shares practical strategies for FSPs and policymakers to support women’s financial inclusion. It will also feature a national launch event of the WE Finance Code Rwanda on May 28.
WE Finance Code Study tour 2024
UK Study Tour 2024
London – June 6,The WE Finance Code anchors from multiple countries joined an immersive one-day study tour to learn from the experience of the UK’s Investing in Women Code, in place since 2019 and an inspiration for the global WE Finance Code.
Since the Investing in Women Code was launched, the UK has seen a three-fold increase in the number of women starting a business each year from 50,000 to 150,000. Aggregate data is reported annually and promotes conversation and action among stakeholders. For example, the most recent report shows that while there is no credit rationing between male and female entrepreneurs, women are asking for lower loan amounts, prompting Code signatory and Alliance member NatWest to pilot an ‘ask for more’ campaign to get women to do just that.
The UK Study Tour was part of a learning program facilitated by the Alliance on behalf of WE-FI to support the successful implementation of the WE Finance Code globally.