Progcap's ProgShakti Boosts Women's Credit Limits by 105%

By: WE Staff | Friday, 13 March 2026

• Progcap reports a 105% increase in women's credit limits on ProgShakti platform
• Women entrepreneurs have a 19% loan rejection rate compared to 8% for men
• Factors that contribute to the high rate of women's loan rejections include a lack of collateral or credit history

Progcap has stated that the platform has helped to achieve a 105 percent increase in credit limits for women entrepreneurs. Despite the challenges faced by the industry regarding financing gaps for women entrepreneurs, the challenges have not impacted the growth of women entrepreneurs on the ProgShakti platform.

The access to credit for women entrepreneurs is one of the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in India. The credit limits for women entrepreneurs have increased by 105 percent on the ProgShakti platform of Progcap.

A study has found that women face a 19 percent chance of their loan applications being rejected compared to 8 percent for men due to various challenges faced by women entrepreneurs while accessing finance.

The company also stated that it has helped to achieve over Rs 10,000 crores worth of credit for women entrepreneurs. The study also found that 90 percent of women borrowers have availed repeat credit on the platform. However, the claims made by the company have not been verified by Business world.

The overall credit deficit was found to be higher for women entrepreneurs (35 percent credit deficit) when compared to male entrepreneurs (20 percent).

According to Pallavi Shrivastava, Co-Founder, Progcap, the most significant barrier to women entrepreneurs in accessing financial services is often attributed to collateral requirements and the necessity of having a male co-applicant in the lending environment.

Additionally, the active businesses (in the form of business loans) being held by women borrowers have increased at a CAGR of 14.8 percent, representing more than double the rate of increase in the number of active businesses being held by male borrowers.

Women borrowers are displaying exceptional repayment performance, as evidenced by the fact that women borrowers have a delinquency rate percentage (PAR 31–180) of only 2.8 percent, compared with 3.3 percent for male borrowers. Also; women account for approximately 60 percent of total women borrowing individually.