Fibank's Smart Lady Program Empowers Bulgarian Women Entrepreneurs to Soar

The Smart Lady programme was created specifically for Bulgarian businesswomen by Fibank (First Investment Bank) in an effort to support female entrepreneurship and economic development. Since then, the creative effort has significantly advanced the objectives of women entrepreneurs in a variety of industries.

The Smart Lady programme offers support to a wide variety of categories, including female start-up company owners, the growth of women-owned firms, and the extension of existing businesses run by women. It not only provides a variety of bank products with advantageous terms, but it also offers a full array of financial and non-financial solutions, all of which are intended to promote growth, give steadfast support, and provide dependable finance.

Since its beginning, the programme has played a significant role in the disbursement of loans totalling almost BGN 130 million, the encouragement of over 1,000 women's aspirations, and the realisation of their goals. Transport, finance, agriculture, education, and even traditionally male-dominated fields like industry and construction are all included in the program's broad range of industrial coverage.

Smart Lady stands out for its proactive approach to empowerment, regularly hosting forums, training sessions, seminars, and mentoring programmes designed to strengthen the capacity of female business owners to effectively manage and grow their enterprises. Additionally, regular coaching meetings are set up to promote prospective collaborations and skill development among programme participants.

The programme made history in 2021 when it announced the Sustainable Lady fund, a trailblazing initiative designed to assist creative green projects headed by women-owned startups or established enterprises. This trailblazing project includes entrepreneurs working on brilliant solutions for environmental pollution control, combating climate change, and protecting the environment. The fund has so far supported twelve eco-friendly initiatives.

The 'Aerospheric' initiative originated from the women entrepreneur mentorship programme, which I had the pleasure of being a part of, according to Anna-Maria Markova, a happy recipient of the Sustainable Lady Fund grant in the Startup Business category. In the initial stage of the project, a former school located about an hour from Sofia would be converted into a training and visitor centre. With its variety of programmes, lectures, and training opportunities, this centre will operate as a gathering place for aviation enthusiasts of all ages. The next step entails starting a consulting firm that will work with airports and aviation industries in Eastern Europe. The project's unique services focused at reducing the carbon footprint of industry businesses are its most distinctive feature.

The National Mentoring Programme for Women Entrepreneurs, which will begin in 2024, is presently taking applications as the programme makes waves in the future. With this programme, Smart Lady and Fibank hope to improve the chances of both aspiring and experienced female entrepreneurs by using the power of mentoring.

The goal of Fibank's Smart Lady programme is to encourage women's economic success by providing funding, coaching, and a platform for creative projects that enhance sustainable development.