On November 17, at the APEC CEO Summit, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth (Center) and CARE International Humanitarian Organization announced the launch of the Mastercard Strive Women program.

The program aims to strengthen the financial health and resilience of women-led small businesses in APEC economies such as Peru and Vietnam, as well as in Pakistan.

Strive Women focuses on four core pillars, including: Supporting women-led small businesses to grow by increasing access to and use of financial products; collaborating with financial service providers to co-design appropriate products that best serve women-led small businesses.

Support initiatives to address gender-based barriers to women-led small businesses, such as childcare; and build an ecosystem that supports women small business leaders by activating networks and sharing learning tools.

The program aims to reach 6 million entrepreneurs through campaigns, while directly supporting more than 300,000 entrepreneurs, mostly women, to grow their businesses and unleash their economic potential.

With a women-centric approach, Strive Women will seek to develop methods to help female small business leaders balance cash flow within their families and businesses, be prepared and able to handle financial shocks, and increase women's decision-making power.

Strive Women is part of Mastercard's small business support program, Mastercard Strive, which helps small businesses thrive in the digital economy.

Bao Anh