Raiffeisen Bank will join international initiative WE Finance Code

Raiffeisen Bank has signed the letter of intent to join the WE Finance Code in Ukraine.

This initiative encourages institutions to act across three key areas:

• leadership – appointing persons responsible for development and support of businesses led by women,
• data – reporting on volumes of financing of companies led by women,
• action - developing financial and non-financial products for female entrepreneurs.

The WE Finance Code helps banks and non-banking financial institutions in more than 30 countries to extend financing for women developing small and medium businesses.

It is a great opportunity for banks and non-banking institutions in Ukraine to unite and strengthen support for female entrepreneurs, who create jobs and contribute to the development of the economy and the country’s future. The initiative is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, the National Bank of Ukraine, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

In 2025, women accounted for 60% of newly registered individual entrepreneurs in Ukraine, and more than one third of new companies are led by women.

These statistics also reflect the structure of Raiffeisen Bank’s customers: approximately 25% of the companies serviced by us are founded by women and more than 40% of individual entrepreneurs are women. Most often they choose agriculture as their core business, as well as wholesale and retail trade.

“50% of businesses led by women have not applied to banks for loans, in particular, due to lack of awareness of financial services. And it is not only about lost opportunities for business development, it also affects the development of the country’s economy in general”, says Natalia Gurina, Chairwoman of the Management Board of Raiffeisen Bank.

Raiffeisen Bank continues supporting female entrepreneurs – through financial instruments and creation of space for a dialog, exchange of experience and search for solutions. And we are ready to develop this area by uniting all market stakeholders around the WE Finance Code.