The Australian government, through its flagship impact investment vehicle, the Australian Development Investments (ADI), committed a P172 million loan to ARQ SME Finance, a women-led financial institution serving small and growing enterprises in the Philippines.
The investment, ADI’s first in the Philippines, was announced by Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Marc Innes-Brown on Tuesday at the opening of the 3-day 2X Global Summit in Manila.
“The Philippines is home to extraordinary Filipina entrepreneurs, but many face barriers when they seek funds to grow their businesses. Australia is proud to partner with ARQ to help create more business opportunities for women and build economic growth that benefits women and men alike,” said Innes-Brown.
ARQ SME Finance targets the so-called “missing middle” – enterprises too large for microfinance services but often overlooked by traditional banking institutions.
The fresh funding will enable ARQ to scale its lending operations to businesses that demonstrate strong commitments to gender equality across leadership, operations, and supply chains.
