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Women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria are proving to be more reliable borrowers than their male counterparts, according to findings from Moniepoint’s 2025 Impact Report, which highlights stronger loan repayment rates despite persistent barriers to accessing formal credit.
The report found that the loan default rate among women-owned businesses is 2.5 times lower than that of businesses owned by men, providing fresh evidence that women entrepreneurs remain one of the most creditworthy segments of Nigeria’s SME ecosystem.
Despite this performance, women continue to face significant challenges in obtaining business financing. Moniepoint disclosed that women accounted for 36 percent of loans disbursed through its platform in 2025 well above the 15 to 25 percent industry benchmark yet access to formal credit remains limited for many female entrepreneurs.
The fintech also reported a more than 300 percent increase in lending to women-owned businesses during the year, reflecting a deliberate effort to close the financing gap and support greater financial inclusion across the SME sector.
A notable finding in the report is that 62 percent of surveyed women entrepreneurs received their first-ever formal business loan through Moniepoint, underscoring the role of alternative lending models in expanding access to finance for businesses that have traditionally struggled to meet conventional banking requirements.
According to Moniepoint, the data challenges long-held assumptions about lending risk, arguing that women-owned enterprises consistently demonstrate stronger repayment discipline despite operating in an environment where collateral requirements, limited credit histories, and restricted access to financing remain major obstacles.
The company noted that its lending approach relies on alternative credit assessment models that evaluate business performance and transaction history rather than depending solely on traditional collateral. This, it said, has enabled more entrepreneurs operating within Nigeria’s informal economy to access financing needed to expand their businesses.
The findings come as access to affordable credit remains one of the biggest challenges facing Nigerian SMEs, many of which cite limited financing as a key constraint to growth. Industry experts believe the report could encourage financial institutions to adopt more inclusive lending practices and reconsider how creditworthiness is assessed for women-led businesses.
For Moniepoint, the report reinforces the business case for inclusive finance, suggesting that expanding credit access to women entrepreneurs not only promotes economic participation but also strengthens the quality of SME loan portfolios through improved repayment performance.
