QNB Türkiye secures US$25m to finance women-led small businesses

What happened

QNB Türkiye has raised US$25 million from Standard Chartered through a repurchase agreement designed around gender equality. The bank said the proceeds will be used to provide new lending, or refinance existing lending, for small and medium-sized enterprises led by women.

Loans supported by the facility must satisfy criteria in the QNB Group Sustainable Finance and Product Framework. QNB Türkiye said it will disclose how the money is allocated on a regular basis, while the use of proceeds will undergo independent verification.

The transaction extends the bank’s financing activity for women entrepreneurs by linking an international-market funding arrangement to lending for women-led businesses.

Why it matters

For women-led SMEs, the facility creates a dedicated funding source for eligible borrowing. It also gives QNB Türkiye a mechanism to tie external liquidity to defined social-finance outcomes, rather than using the proceeds without restrictions on the final use of loans.

Regular allocation reporting and external checks may help lenders, investors and borrowers assess whether the funding reaches the intended businesses. The arrangement shows how repo-market funding can be connected to gender-focused lending criteria.

Background

QNB Türkiye said women make up approximately 59% of its employees. Their share is 47% across management levels and 36% on its board. The bank is a signatory to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles and a member of the 30% Club.

Its internal measures include a gender-equality guide and action plan, a target to reduce the gender pay gap, and 20 days of secondary-parent leave. The bank also works with the Women Exporters Association on an export academy for women entrepreneurs, and supports a programme for single mothers with İKADE and YenidenBiz.

What's next

QNB Türkiye said it intends to expand cooperation with international financial institutions and develop further financing models supporting gender equality and sustainable development. The bank will report on the loans funded under this US$25 million facility and subject their allocation to independent verification.