Spanish
Bank credit granted to women in the Dominican Republic almost quadrupled in the last decade, with an accumulated growth of 281%, increasing from RD$99,341 million in 2014 to RD$378,968 million at the end of 2025, which reflects a sustained expansion of women's access to financing within the Dominican financial system, according to data collected by the Association of Multiple Banks of the Dominican Republic (ABA).
The information is part of a technical note prepared by the Directorate of Economic and Banking Studies of the ABA, which analyzes the evolution of women's access to the Dominican financial system and highlights that, in addition to the increase in financing, women show better payment behavior.
In that sense, the ABA stated that, according to data from the Superintendency of Banks, the delinquency rate of loans granted to women is 1.4%, while in the male segment it reaches 2.05%, demonstrating the stability of the credit performance of this segment.
She also explained that credit to women as individuals includes consumer, mortgage, and commercial loans, which shows that the Dominican banking system is addressing the financial needs of women in different areas, both for entrepreneurship and for the acquisition of housing or the development of personal projects.
"As a result of this dynamic, female participation in the banking system's credit portfolio increased from 35% in 2014 to 39% in 2025, reflecting progress in reducing gaps in access to financing," he indicated.
Furthermore, the guild reported that progress in financial inclusion is also observed in access to savings products. While in 2014 savings accounts belonging to women totaled 2.2 million, in 2025 they reached 3.7 million, for a cumulative growth of 68%, higher than the increase recorded in men's accounts (52%).
"Thanks to this evolution, female participation in savings account ownership went from 47% to 49.9%, practically achieving equality in access to this type of financial instrument," he added.
For the Banking Association, these advances are closely linked to greater participation of women in the labor market. According to data from the Central Bank, the female presence in employment went from 39% in 2014 to 45% in 2025, which represents an increase of six percentage points in just over a decade.
"These data demonstrate that the Dominican banking sector has been a champion of financial inclusion and the economic empowerment of women in the Dominican Republic, gradually reducing the gaps in access to financial products and services," he said, through a press release.
Opportunities to expand financial inclusion
The Association of Multiple Banks of the Dominican Republic (ABA) pointed out that, despite the observed advances, female participation in access to credit still remains below that of men, which shows that challenges persist that must be addressed through comprehensive strategies that involve the public and private sectors, as well as the elimination of structural and cultural barriers that limit women's access to financing.
In that sense, the ABA highlighted initiatives such as the Code of Financing for the Entrepreneurial Woman (We Finance Code), in which the guild acts as an articulating entity to expand access to credit for women entrepreneurs through the collection of gender-disaggregated data.
"These statistics allow us to design more effective strategies to address the particular needs of this segment, including training, mentoring, and business formalization mechanisms," he said.
Furthermore, the guild considered that moving towards greater financial inclusion of women not only constitutes a goal of social equity, but also a key strategy to strengthen productivity, expand the business base and boost the sustainable economic growth of the country.
"From ABA we are ready to continue supporting the efforts that contribute to the development and advancement of Dominican women," she concluded.
