Skip to Main Navigation

"Women Entrepreneurship Finance Initiative - Enhancing Financial Inclusion in Nepal"


  • SOLICITATION NUMBER: 0002015546
  • INSTITUTION:  IBRD/IDA , IFC , MIGA , ICSID
  • ASSIGNMENT LOCATION: Nepal
  • ISSUE DATE AND TIME: Apr 24,2025 05:38
  • CLOSING DATE AND TIME: May 01,2025 23:59

Nepal’s socio-economic development is shaped by persistent disparities in human development outcomes across caste; ethnicity; and gender. Women face significant barriers to economic participation. The country’s sex ratio stands at 95.59 males per 100 females; and between 2019/20 and 2021/22; approximately 10 percent of women sought employment abroad due to limited entrepreneurial opportunities at home.Micro; small; and medium enterprises (MSMEs) play a vital role in Nepal’s economy; yet 52 percent of women-owned small businesses struggle to access financing; and only 13.4 percent of women secure loans from formal financial institutions. Barriers include insufficient collateral; limited credit history; and inadequate financial literacy. Addressing these challenges requires gender-responsive decision-making across public policies; social initiatives; and private enterprises.The Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) aims to remove financial and non-financial barriers faced by women-led SMEs (WSMEs) by mobilizing resources to improve access to finance; capacity building; and market linkages. A key component of this effort is enhancing sex-disaggregated data to identify disparities; design targeted interventions; and align strategies with the forthcoming Nepal’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS).In collaboration with the Financial Inclusion and Consumer Protection Division (FICPD) of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) and the Nepal Bankers' Association (NBA); the World Bank seeks to institutionalize gender-disaggregated data collection and analytics across regulatory agencies. An initial review of Banking and Financial Institutions (BFIs) reporting to NRB’s Supervisory Information System (SIS) identified 223 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs); categorized into four priority levels. Of these:A technical consultation was held in December 2024 with the Financial Inclusion and Consumer Protection Division (FICPD) at the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) – the core beneficiary of the support under the We-fi project. The consultation reiterated the key findings of the assessment that highlighted the data availability for 29 KPIs; with the possibility of acquiring data for 110 additional KPIs through targeted resources; and the unavailability of data for 84 KPIs that would require strategic interventions. Furthermore; the consultation also highlighted the need to incorporate key findings of the assessment in the forthcoming Nepal Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) and the Second Financial Sector Development Strategy (FSDS – II) and prioritize the selection of KPIs for monitoring and tracking progress on sex-disaggregated data reporting in Nepal. The team envisages the incorporation of 20 KPIs pertaining to Bank & Financial Institutions (BFIs). The list of these KPIs is provided in the Annex 2.The World Bank seeks to engage a consulting firm with expertise in financial inclusion; data analytics; and regulatory frameworks to support NRB in enhancing sex-disaggregated financial data reporting. The firm will:*Assess and refine data collection frameworks; identifying gaps and additional indicators*Enhance SIS capabilities by identifying required software; hardware; and support services*Provide suggestions to improvise NRB’s Financial Inclusion Dashboard to improve monitoring and decision-making*Provide recommendations for NRB directive amendments to strengthen gender-sensitive reporting*Consult with WSMEs to align We-Fi data initiatives with their financial needs and challengesKey Deliverables*1. Review of Existing Data Collection Templates*Deliverable: Gap Assessment Report*Task: Evaluate SIS input templates and identify necessary modifications or new templates.2. Consultation with BFIs and Stakeholders*Deliverable: Stakeholder Consultation Summary*Task: Engage BFIs to confirm relevant data points required for We-Fi reporting.3. Update and Develop Input Templates*Deliverable: eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) Templates (Test Environment)*Task: Implement required changes in SIS templates; develop new templates if necessary; and test in a controlled environment.4. User Acceptance Testing (UAT); Deployment; and Training*Deliverable: Finalized XBRL Templates and Training Sessions*Task: Test and deploy revised templates; train NRB staff and BFIs on data updates and reporting.5. Financial Inclusion Dashboard Development*Deliverable: Operational Dashboard & Data Integration Plan*Tasks:**Train NRB staff on dashboard development and KPI tracking*Propose technology solutions for seamless data integration6. Review of NRB Directives*Deliverable: Regulatory Gap Report & Draft Amendments*Task: Recommend revisions to NRB directives based on best practices to strengthen gender-sensitive financial inclusion reporting.7. Financial Inclusion Roadmap*Deliverable: Strategic Plan for Gender-Inclusive Financial Inclusion*Task: Develop a roadmap outlining short-; medium-; and long-term st                                                                                                                                                                                                

The World Bank Group reserves the right to publicly disclose contract award information, including but not limited to, name of company receiving the award, brief description of services, and contract award amount, for any contract award valued over US$250,000. Offeror's proposal and contractual documents will remain confidential and therefore not subject to disclosure.

The World Bank Group values supplier diversity and encourages businesses owned by women, minorities, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, and people with disabilities to participate in this opportunity. Please indicate in the response if you meet one of these diverse categories and specify the certification body you utilize.

The World Bank reserves the right to reject any or all responses without recourse.

Welcome