The Superintendency of Banks of the Dominican Republic has completed a seven month training programme designed to strengthen the capacity of financial intermediation entities to develop more inclusive and sustainable offerings for underserved groups. The programme focused on women, especially those leading micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as persons with disabilities, older adults and migrants. Participating entities worked on integrated proposals that combine financial products with non-financial services such as education, support and trust-building, and on using data more strategically in decision-making. A central theme was the persistent gap in women’s access to credit. Using data from the Dominican Banking Market Information System, the authority noted that women account for about half of borrowers in the Dominican Republic, but average outstanding balances remain lower at DOP 68,003 versus DOP 99,843 for men, a difference of DOP 31,840 or about 47%. The training also covered measurement and performance management, including indicator design, baselines, targets, monitoring systems and sex-disaggregated metrics aligned with international standards, alongside management approaches that involve cross-functional teams and senior leadership. The programme was coordinated by Escuela SB with support from the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Finance Corporation and the International Organization for Migration. The authority said it will continue supporting entities in this area and pointed to the Financial Inclusion Ranking in its report Towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Financial System 2025 as a key tool for measuring institutions' progress in serving these segments.
Superintencencia de Bancos de la Republica Dominicana2026-05-19
Superintendency of Banks of the Dominican Republic completes seven month training on financial inclusion solutions for vulnerable groups
The Superintendency of Banks of the Dominican Republic completed a seven-month training programme to help financial entities develop more inclusive offerings for underserved groups, focusing on women-led MSMEs, persons with disabilities, older adults and migrants. It highlighted a persistent gender credit gap, with women’s average outstanding balances at DOP 68,003 versus DOP 99,843 for men, and promoted greater use of data, sex-disaggregated metrics and performance management tools. The authority will continue supporting entities and identified the Financial Inclusion Ranking as a key instrument to track progress.