Since 2005, Garanti BBVA’s program has expanded women entrepreneurs’ access to finance —over 5 billion euros in the past five years— while redefining the role a bank can play in enabling their long-term business success. The project was created to serve an underserved segment in Türkiye and has established itself as a model capable of generating measurable impact and value for the business.
“Empowering women entrepreneurs is not just a matter of social responsibility — it is a business priority and a strategic investment in inclusive economic economic growth,” says Selin Öz, Manager for Entrepreneurship Banking at Garanti BBVA. What began 20 years ago as a pioneering effort to serve an underserved segment in Türkiye has evolved into a globally recognized model that drives both measurable impact and business value.
Although Türkiye ranks among the world’s 20 largest economies, for decades one of its greatest growth levers - women - has been underutilized: women comprise 49.8% of the population, yet their labor force participation remains at just 34.3%, significantly lower than the OECD average of 63%.
“Recognizing this, Garanti BBVA took action in 2005 with the vision to become the bank of choice for women entrepreneurs. We set out to close this gap not only by expanding access to finance, but by redefining what a bank can do to enable long-term business success,” explains Öz.
Designing a Tailored Model for a New Business Segment
From the beginning, the bank established a clear definition of women entrepreneurs: this category includes companies in which women hold more than 50% of the shareholding, as well as self-employed professionals and individual business owners. This classification enabled the collection of sex-disaggregated data, track performance, measure impact — and ultimately, manage this segment with the same rigor as any other business line.
This clarity has been key for developing a tailored offering that meets the specific needs of women entrepreneurs at each stage of their business lifecycle. The support model is built around four pillars, reflecting the key barriers identified:
- Access to finance. Tailored loans, better terms, and gender-neutral credit policies. The bank has channelled more than €5 billion for the last five years, of which €2.5 billion in 2025 alone.
- Education and training. Programs like the Women Entrepreneurs Academy with Boğaziçi University, have reached 6,000 graduates in 30 cities through 50 training courses offered since its creation in 2012.
- Encouragement and visibility. The Women Entrepreneurs Award has received more than 48,000 applications since its launch in 2007.
- Access to new markets. Helping women scale their businesses beyond local borders through digital tools and ecosystem connections with “Women in Trade” digital platform, which now counts 2,000 registered women entrepreneurs.
What began with access to finance has evolved into a holistic support platform, informed by data and fueled by consistent learning from the field.
This commitment to women entrepreneurs has become a benchmark in Türkiye, recognized by institutions like the IFC, EBRD and the United Nations, and studied as a model for other organizations. “But more importantly, it is a movement that grew from within — driven by a corporate culture that champions top-down vision and bottom-up energy. Relationship managers in branches actively nominate and encourage women to join competitions. Female entrepreneurs become mentors for others. Knowledge is passed along, like light from one candle to the next,” notes the Manager for Entrepreneurship Banking.
The impact: from social purpose to business value
“In a world facing intersecting challenges — climate change, inequality, and technological disruption — gender-inclusive finance is more than a moral imperative: it is a lever for resilience,” states Selin Öz. The women entrepreneurs program strengthens Garanti BBVA’s Sustainable Finance framework, where social inclusion and economic empowerment are core components of the bank’s value creation model.“Empowering women is no longer just the right thing to do. It is the smart thing to do — for economic growth, inclusive development, and business sustainability.”