Garanti BBVA Builds Longstanding Model to Empower Women Entrepreneurs Across Türkiye

Garanti BBVA Builds Longstanding Model to Empower Women Entrepreneurs Across Türkiye

(IN BRIEF) Garanti BBVA has developed a comprehensive women entrepreneurs program that has expanded access to finance and long-term business support in Türkiye since 2005. With more than €5 billion in financing provided over the past five years, the initiative combines tailored lending, education, visibility, and market access to address structural barriers faced by women-led businesses. Recognized internationally as a best-practice model, the program demonstrates how gender-inclusive finance can generate measurable social impact while delivering sustainable business value.

(PRESS RELEASE) BILBAO, 6-Jan-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Garanti BBVA has built one of Türkiye’s longest-running and most impactful initiatives dedicated to women entrepreneurs, redefining how financial institutions can support inclusive growth while generating long-term business value. Since its launch in 2005, the program has expanded access to finance for women-led businesses and evolved into a comprehensive support model that combines funding, education, visibility, and market access. Over the past five years alone, Garanti BBVA has provided more than €5 billion in financing to women entrepreneurs, including €2.5 billion in 2025.

Türkiye is among the world’s 20 largest economies, yet women remain significantly underrepresented in the labor force, with participation rates well below the OECD average. Recognizing this structural gap, Garanti BBVA set out nearly two decades ago to become the bank of choice for women entrepreneurs, addressing not only financing needs but also the broader barriers that limit sustainable business growth.

At the core of the initiative is a clearly defined and data-driven approach to identifying women entrepreneurs, encompassing businesses with majority female ownership as well as self-employed professionals and individual business owners. This definition has enabled the bank to collect sex-disaggregated data, measure impact, track performance, and manage the segment with the same discipline applied to other core business lines.

The program is structured around four interconnected pillars designed to address the most common challenges faced by women entrepreneurs. Access to finance remains central, with tailored lending products, improved terms, and gender-neutral credit policies supporting business growth at different stages. Education and training initiatives, including the Women Entrepreneurs Academy developed in partnership with Boğaziçi University, have reached more than 6,000 participants across 30 cities since 2012. Encouragement and visibility are promoted through the Women Entrepreneurs Awards, which have attracted over 48,000 applications since their launch in 2007. Access to new markets is supported through digital tools and ecosystem connections, notably the “Women in Trade” platform, which now brings together around 2,000 registered women entrepreneurs seeking to scale beyond local markets.

What began as a finance-focused initiative has developed into a holistic ecosystem built on continuous learning and close engagement with entrepreneurs on the ground. The program has gained recognition from international institutions such as the IFC, EBRD, and the United Nations, and is frequently cited as a reference model for gender-inclusive banking.

According to Selin Öz, Manager for Entrepreneurship Banking at Garanti BBVA, empowering women entrepreneurs is both a social responsibility and a strategic investment in sustainable and inclusive economic growth. The initiative plays a key role within Garanti BBVA’s broader sustainable finance framework, where social inclusion and economic empowerment are integral to long-term value creation. By supporting women-led businesses, the bank aims to strengthen economic resilience, foster inclusive development, and contribute to a more sustainable future for Türkiye’s economy.

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SOURCE: Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A.