At Nsoatreman Rural Bank, women are already at the heart of lending. Nearly 90% of clients under the Credit with Education (CWE) product are women, and 60% of the Susu group loan portfolio also serves women customers. Yet, these products have not fully reached their potential. Through the Mastercard Foundation’s FIRST+II program, implemented by CapitalPlus Exchange (CapPlus), a recent gender diagnostic has illuminated how these products can be redesigned into powerful vehicles for women’s empowerment.

The diagnostic recommended a twin-track strategy: refining both CWE and Susu loans to make them the bank’s flagship gender-finance offerings. For CWE, adjustments to eligibility criteria, loan limits, and pricing are critical to unlock growth. Lowering its current interest rate (50%) toward market averages (~42%) and increasing loan ceilings will make the product far more competitive and responsive to women entrepreneurs who need larger, affordable financing to scale their businesses.

By repositioning CWE, which is currently the smallest product in the bank’s portfolio, alongside enhancements to Susu loans, Nsoatreman Rural Bank has an opportunity to transform existing offerings into cornerstone products that empower women-led MSMEs, especially in rural and agricultural sectors.

This journey is about more than product design; it is about reimagining how finance works for women. With the support of the Mastercard Foundation’s FIRST+II program, implemented by CapPlus, Nsoatreman Rural Bank is charting a new course where inclusive lending becomes a driver of women’s economic participation, business growth, and sustainable community development.