The Superintendency of Banks of the Dominican Republic published its “Towards an inclusive and sustainable financial system 2025” report, highlighting continued improvements in women’s financial inclusion, including a shift to a female majority among people with formal credit since November 2025. The report also finds that while access is converging, gaps remain in average loan balances and savings. Women with credit rose to 1,311,792 in January 2026 from 925,670 in January 2021, an increase of 42% (up 386,655). Women exceeded men with credit by 3,579 in January 2026, and accounted for 50.4% of new borrowers between January 2025 and January 2026 versus 49.6% for men, based on the Dominican Banking Market Information System (SIMBAD); “new borrowers” are defined as people accessing formal credit for the first time. Average outstanding debt was higher for men (DOP 190,750) than women (DOP 139,167) in January 2026, although the report notes the gap has narrowed slightly. On deposits, men held about DOP 1 trillion (57.4%) versus DOP 795 billion (42.5%) for women, with average deposits of DOP 160,000 for men and DOP 114,000 for women; in a sample of 1,202 users, 65% of women reported fully trusting their financial institution versus 60% of men. The report concludes that despite progress and greater female presence in leadership roles, some practices still restrict access, including requests for additional requirements, and calls for more systematic gender policies, more tailored products and services, stronger internal training, and standardized gender- and intersectionality-sensitive practices.

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