A. M. 
Bancoagrícola shared its experience at the Forum: “Clearing the Path: Breaking Down Barriers to Women’s Economic Empowerment”, which was part of the Annual Meeting of the International Monetary Fund-IMF and the World Bank 2024.
The global meeting, held in Washington, brought together representatives from academia, governments, public and private institutions, as well as representatives from the World Bank, to discuss how to break down barriers to women’s empowerment and economic development from various fields.
“In the forum we shared how Bancoagrícola, from our purpose of promoting sustainable development to achieve the welfare of all, has been developing a gender equity strategy based on three pillars: our employees, the bank’s customers and the communities”, said Alejandro Gómez Fernández, Vice President of Talent Management and Culture of Bancoagrícola, who represented the bank at the forum.
Gómez Fernández shared a panel with Renata Amaral, Secretary for International Affairs, Ministry of Planning and Budget of Brazil; Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, President and CEO of the African Center for Economic Transformation; Mohammad Imran Khan, CEO, TransPeshawar of Pakistan; and moderator Michael O’Sullivan, Director of the World Bank’s Africa Gender Innovation Lab.
“From internally, we have submitted to the highest international standards to generate a gender equity plan within the bank to strengthen the presence of women in leadership positions, review our compensation issues and accompany the development of women leaders within the organization”, said Bancoagrícola’s VP of Human Management.
In Bancoagrícola, most of the employees in operational areas are women (54%), this is also reflected in leadership positions, where they occupy 51% of these positions, and in senior management positions, they occupy 40%.
Of the bank’s more than 3,000 employees, more than 88% have already been sensitized on issues of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), which has been key to a smooth and successful transformation.
In 2020 Bancoagrícola received a loan from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, for up to US$330 million to contribute to the recovery of the Salvadoran economy and move towards the Sustainable Development Goals, identifying three fronts on which to generate greater impact: strengthening the productive fabric, building sustainable cities and communities, and promoting financial inclusion.
Much of this financing has been used to support sectors that have had difficulty accessing banking services, such as MSMEs and women entrepreneurs.
“From our clients’ point of view, we develop programs to empower and grow women entrepreneurs, offering financing and the necessary accompaniment to achieve their goals. We also support communities to strengthen the productive fabric and generate financial inclusion”, emphasized Alejandro Gómez.
Credito Mujer Futuro has lines and credits for financing companies led by women, Bancoagrícola placed $10 million, while for SMEs led by women, more than $17 million.
The Ella Es Líder program promotes the empowerment of women inside and outside the organization, as well as financial inclusion to increase women’s participation, representation and visibility.
With the In-pactamos program, which began in 2017, mentoring and advice has been provided through the bank’s collaborators to 127 businesses, 62% of which are led by women
