HSBC launches US$1 bln lending programme for female entrepreneurs

HSBC Holdings said on 12th May, it was launching a $1 billion lending fund to invest in female-owned businesses over the next 12 months.

汇丰控股5月12日表示，将启动一项 10 亿美元的贷款基金，在未来 12 个月内投资于女性拥有的企业。

"The level of funding received over time by female-led businesses is significantly lower than male counterparts, while the recent impacts of the pandemic have seen these same businesses disproportionately affected," Sam Cooper-Gray, global head of market strategy at HSBC Business Banking, said in a statement.

汇丰商业银行全球市场战略主管 Sam Cooper-Gray 表示：“随着时间的推移，女性主导的企业获得的资金水平明显低于男性同行，而最近大流行的影响使这些企业受到了不成比例的影响。” ，在一份声明中说。

"Female-owned businesses are also less likely to have global networks, meaning international expansion can prove particularly challenging," she said.

“女性拥有的企业也不太可能拥有全球网络，这意味着国际扩张尤其具有挑战性，”她说。

The fund appears to cover more markets than any other such initiative.

该基金似乎覆盖了比任何其他此类计划更多的市场。

In January 2021, NatWest Group allocated 1 billion pounds ($1.2 billion) to support female-led businesses in Britain recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, adding to 1 billion pounds the bank made available in 2020.

2021 年 1 月，NatWest Group 拨款 10 亿英镑（合 12 亿美元），以支持英国女性领导的企业从 COVID-19 大流行中恢复过来，使该银行在 2020 年提供的资金增加了 10 亿英镑。

HSBC said access to funding remained one of the biggest hurdles for female business leaders worldwide. Female-owned businesses had received just 3% of start-up funding in 2019, HSBC said.

汇丰银行表示，获得资金仍然是全球女性商界领袖面临的最大障碍之一。汇丰银行表示，女性拥有的企业在 2019 年仅获得了 3% 的启动资金。

HSBC's Female Entrepreneur Fund will be open to both new and existing customers across 11 markets, with nearly half of them in Asia, including Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Indonesia. Other markets include the United States, Britain and Uruguay.

汇丰的女性企业家基金将向 11 个市场的新老客户开放，其中近一半位于亚洲，包括马来西亚、香港、新加坡和印度尼西亚。其他市场包括美国、英国和乌拉圭。