OCBC is stepping up its push to finance women-led companies, aiming to again 10,000 entrepreneurs throughout Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia by 2030.

The financial institution revealed the expanded objective at a briefing coated by The Enterprise Occasions, noting that greater than 2,000 women-owned SMEs had already acquired near S$600 million in social loans by mid-2025.

The Ladies Limitless programme began in Singapore in April 2024, providing as much as S$100,000 in financing for early-stage companies run by girls.

It targets corporations of their first two years of operation and waives processing charges to decrease entry limitations.

OCBC later introduced the programme to Hong Kong in early 2025 and to Malaysia in August, whereas a associated scheme known as Ladies Warriors has been working in Indonesia since 2020.

The financial institution positions the initiative as a manner to assist shut funding gaps for women-owned corporations and enhance their early development prospects.

In line with OCBC information, feminine entrepreneurs usually borrow much less of their first three years and file about 30 per cent decrease turnover development than male-owned corporations.

The financial institution stated entry to financing has already helped slender this hole, notably in Singapore, the place mortgage commitments to women-owned SMEs grew greater than 20 per cent yr on yr.

Throughout all 4 markets, a few third of OCBC’s SME purchasers at the moment are women-owned, with Singapore at 36 per cent.

In Malaysia, Ladies Limitless is delivered by OCBC Al-Amin Financial institution with collateral-free loans of as much as RM600,000 supported by a RM100 million Islamic Portfolio Assure-i facility organized with the Credit score Assure Company.

Mortgage quantities differ by market to match the wants of every nation’s entrepreneurs, starting from micro-business homeowners in Indonesia to extra capital-intensive startups in Singapore and Hong Kong.

A number of entrepreneurs have highlighted how the programme has accelerated their development.

The Powder Shampoo tapped OCBC’s financing to maneuver into the Philippines and tasks that it’s going to double its buyer base by the tip of 2025, with income rising by 150 per cent in 2026.

The Plattering Co used its mortgage to construct a halal-certified central kitchen and expects to extend its buyer base by half and triple income by 2027.

Featured picture: Edited by Fintech Information Singapore, based mostly on picture by OCBC