Maib, the largest bank in Moldova, and Visa, one of the world leaders in digital payments, announce the partnership within the She's Next Empowered by Visa global initiative in Moldova. The program is carried out by Visa at the international level, the aim of the initiative being to support women entrepreneurs and develop opportunities for women's businesses.
As part of the first stage of the She's Next Empowered by Visa initiative in Moldova, carried out by Visa in partnership with maib, XY Partners and EFSE, the XY Women Accelerator II mentoring and education program and the online education program were launched within the limits of the She's Next Digital Community Platform. Their goal is to give women entrepreneurs access to education programs, mentoring, creating opportunities for new partnerships through quality networking. Register for the program here.
“She's Next Empowered by Visa is a global initiative that promotes women entrepreneurs around the world. Visa, through this program, empowers women to build and grow their businesses. As small as these companies are, they are crucial and act as important employers and contributors to the local economy”, said Svitlana Chyrva, VP, country manager for Visa Ukraine and Moldova.
Aliona Stratan, First Deputy Chairwoman of the Management Board at maib:
“We are excited to be part of the She's Next Empowered by Visa initiative in Moldova, to create opportunities and inspire women to go into business, grow their businesses and increase their value. Personally and with the entire maib team, we will contribute to supporting women entrepreneurs through convenient banking products and services, access to financing programs under attractive conditions, as well as support and mentoring.”
Andrii Glevatskyi, Deputy Chairman of the Management Board at maib, in charge of the Business Banking division:
“Among the companies we serve at maib, the share of those managed by women shows a gratifying increase. If in 2004 this share was around 9%, in 2023 it is 34%. I am sure that this trend will continue, and we, the maib team, will be here to support them, to develop new opportunities and financial instruments to be the reliable partner of women entrepreneurs in business development.”
In parallel to the online education program on the She's Next platform, XY Women Accelerator II will also host an offline bootcamp for women entrepreneurs. For 10 weeks, 30 women will benefit from training and mentoring from 6 successful women, with valuable experience in different spheres of the economy, later becoming ambassadors of entrepreneurship in the Republic of Moldova, being examples of success in the business world, but also inspiration for other women who want to step on the path of entrepreneurship.
About maib
Maib is the largest bank in Moldova, with a share of 31.6% of deposits and 37.9% of loans of the entire banking system at the end of the first semester of 2023. The bank has systemic importance and serves almost a third of the country's population. As of 2018, maib's largest shareholder is a consortium, which includes the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Invalda INVL, a leading Baltic asset management group, and Horizon Capital, a private equity fund focused on markets emergent. In 2022, maib is designated "The best SME bank in Moldova" by Global Finance and "Market Leader" in Corporate Banking by Euromoney.
About She's Next Empowered by Visa initiative in Moldova
She's Next Empowered by Visa initiative is a global initiative that aims to support women entrepreneurs from all over the world. Visa gives them the tools and resources to build, sustain and advance their businesses, recognizing the crucial importance of small businesses to local economies. In 2023, this initiative was launched in Moldova, in collaboration with UN Women, USAID and Agora, and with the support of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Moldova. An essential component of the program is the creation of the She's Next digital platform for female entrepreneurs, where they can interact, access webinars and benefit from mentoring and networking opportunities.
