Progcap, an MSME-focused fintech company, has launched ProgShakti, an initiative aimed at expanding access to credit for women-led MSMEs and enabling them to grow their businesses independently.

Progcap has enabled over ₹10,000 crore of credit to women entrepreneurs through the ProgShakti initiative. Credit limits for women borrowers have increased by 105 per cent over time, reflecting stronger credit profiles and expanding business operations.

The platform is also seeing strong engagement, with nearly 90 per cent of women borrowers returning for repeat financing, signalling growing trust in formal credit channels, said the company.

Women borrowers currently account for 17 per cent of Progcap’s overall portfolio, growing at 40 per cent year-on-year, with almost 90 per cent of these entrepreneurs coming from tier-II and -III markets.

Pallavi Shrivastava, Co-founder, Progcap said one of the biggest challenges for women entrepreneurs has been the traditional requirement of collateral and a male co-applicant in lending systems.

ProgShakti aims to remove these structural barriers by offering unsecured working capital loans that women entrepreneurs can access independently.

“Our aim is not just to provide flexible credit, but also to support women-led businesses through capacity building via the ProgShakti Development Program,” she said.

Interestingly, Ghaziabad leads among cities in terms of women borrowers on the platform, followed by Lucknow, Jaipur City, Bangalore South and Patna for women entrepreneurs accessing credit through ProgShakti.

Through ProgShakti, Progcap aims to build a more inclusive financial ecosystem by expanding access to capital and strengthening the capabilities of women entrepreneurs across India.

Recent studies show that women borrowers face nearly a 19 per cent loan rejection rate compared to 8 per cent for men, often due to factors such as lack of collateral, limited credit history and structural barriers within traditional lending systems.

Published on March 10, 2026