According to The Rose Review, access to and awareness of funding was highlighted as the number one issue for female entrepreneurs. Women launch businesses with 53% less capital on average than men, are less aware of funding options and less likely to take on debt.

In honor of Women’s Equality Day celebrated on Aug 26th, Samantha Bamers, the Founder and CEO of micro-lending firm Ask Inclusive Finance (AskIf), discusses how far the financial services industry still needs to go to ensure equality and inclusion in lending.