El Beya: Advans Tunisie’s loan designed for Women

Launched in November 2023, this loan, shaped by a comprehensive market study, has already empowered more than 2,300 Tunisian women to date.

In Tunisia, women have high levels of Education, yet low levels of economic participation. Only 29% have a bank account and a mere 9% had access to a loan at least once in their professional life. Barriers to their financial inclusion are diverse: they have more difficulties in providing a collateral, they are less mobile than men, and are not always involved in the financial decisions of the household, especially in rural areas, as shown by a recent study carried out by Advans Tunisie.

In 2023, to help address these barriers, Advans Tunisie launched El Beya the subsidiary’s first loan product dedicated to female clients. The loan, ranging from 1,000 DT to 10,000 DT, is specifically designed to meet the needs of women entrepreneurs aged 18 to 65, regardless of their field of activity, provided they have an existing project for at least six months. The repayment of this loan is spread over a maximum period of 24 months. The collateral policy has been adapted to increase flexibility, and subscription fees reduced.

Moreover, female clients with more than 2 loan cycles with Advans Tunisie and a positive repayment history, can benefit from El Beya up to 5,000 dt without any collateral.

“I am 29 years old and I run a successful farming business. My love for farming started when I was just a kid, figuring out how to drive a tractor by myself. My father, who was my first teacher, shared all the tricks of the trade with me. After he passed away, I kept working with my brother, but we hit some tough times” says Nesrine Sayaria Agri client, Advans Tunisie.

She continues, “That’s when a friend from a training program told me about Advans. I decided to visit their nearest branch to apply for a loan. With my first loan, I bought seeds and started small. The second loan helped me get new farming equipment and fix the old ones. My third loan allowed me to expand my flock of sheep; now I have twenty of them.

Advans’ support has been a game-changer for my farm. It’s allowed me to hire workers and grow my business. I plan to keep working with Advans because I’m very happy with their services. I highly recommend other entrepreneurs to check them out for credit.