New Report Shows Women Repay Loans Better Than Men in Nigeria
- Moniepoint's 2025 Impact Report found that women-owned businesses in Nigeria had significantly lower loan default rates
- The fintech company said it recorded a 300% increase in lending to women in 2025
- A separate Credit Direct report covering about 300,000 borrowers also found that women outperformed men
Women-owned businesses in Nigeria are proving to be among the most reliable borrowers in the country's lending market, with default rates far below those of their male counterparts, according to Moniepoint's 2025 Impact Report.
The fintech company found that female entrepreneurs in its loan portfolio defaulted at a rate 2.5 times lower than male borrowers, even as women continued to receive a smaller share of total credit disbursed.
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Women accounted for 36% of loans on the platform, above the industry average of between 15% and 25%, yet still walked away with a stronger repayment record than men.
Moniepoint said in the report:
"We found that the default rate for women was 2.5 times lower than for men. This is definitive evidence that lending to women-owned businesses is sound financial practice."
Lending to Women Grew, But Gaps Persist
Despite the stronger performance, the majority of female entrepreneurs accessing credit through Moniepoint were doing so for the first time.
The report showed that 62% of surveyed women said the loan they received was the first formal business loan they had ever taken. Lending to women on the platform grew by more than 300% in 2025.
Moniepoint linked part of this progress to alternative credit assessment models, which allow lenders to evaluate entrepreneurs who lack conventional collateral or extensive banking records.
Women-owned businesses make up roughly 33% of Nigeria's micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, but financing barriers have historically kept many outside the formal credit system.
Data cited from Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access showed that only 45% of Nigerian women have access to financial services, compared with 56% of men, a gap Moniepoint argued was holding back both financial inclusion and the overall quality of lending portfolios in the country.
Source: Getty Images
Separate Report Confirms Women Repay Loans Better
Moniepoint's findings were echoed by Credit Direct's 2025 Nigeria Credit Landscape Report, which drew on data from about 300,000 active borrowers.
That report found women received just 26% of all loans disbursed, yet posted a delinquency rate of 7.8% against 10.9% for male borrowers.
Women also borrowed more on average, receiving N478,117 per loan compared with N430,962 for men. Among married borrowers, women similarly secured larger loans while maintaining lower default rates.
Credit Direct said:
"Despite representing only 26% of total borrowers, women repaid their loans better, indicating that their larger loan amounts do not mean greater credit risk."
The Credit Direct report also found that many Nigerians are now turning to credit to cover everyday costs rather than grow their businesses. Rent, school fees and medical bills were the most common reasons cited for borrowing, and nine in ten borrowers earned below N200,000 monthly, pointing to a lending landscape shaped as much by economic hardship as by entrepreneurial ambition.
FG opens portal, Nigerians can borrow up to N300,000
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian government is set to empower market women, small-scale traders, and artisans with access to zero-interest loans of up to N100,000 through its upcoming programmes, MarketMoni and TraderMoni.
MarketMoni will provide market women with interest-free loans to grow working capital, restock inventory, and expand their businesses.
Beneficiaries will enjoy zero collateral, a 3-month moratorium before repayment, and nationwide coverage across all six geopolitical zones.
Source: Legit.ng
