The National Confederation for Women Entrepreneurship (CONAF) plans to measure how women entrepreneurs access finance in Romania. Its national barometer will track capital needed, requested, approved and ultimately received by women-led companies.
The organisation intends to present the findings to banks, financiers and European financial institutions. Founding president Cristina Chiriac said the exercise would identify financing gaps without presuming discrimination or seeking a predetermined conclusion.
Measuring How Women Entrepreneurs Access Capital
Chiriac described the initiative at the third international “Women in Economy – Spanish Edition” gala. The event took place on Tuesday, September 29, at the Real Casino de Madrid, according to AGERPRES’ account.
Romania has programmes, initiatives and statements of support, Chiriac said. However, she argued that the country still needs to establish how much requested capital reaches women entrepreneurs’ companies.
“We are not starting from the presumption of discrimination, nor are we looking for statistics to confirm a convenient conclusion,” Chiriac said.
The analysis will examine where the financing process breaks down and why. It will also cover entrepreneurs who need funding but no longer apply for it.
Chiriac said reduced investments and postponed expansion should form part of the assessment. These situations could reveal financing needs that banking statistics struggle to capture.
Chiriac argued that unmet capital needs extend beyond individual businesses. She linked the gap to investments not materialising, productivity not rising, jobs not being created and revenue not entering the economy.
Related reporting examines networks alongside business credit. That separate analysis concerns support for entrepreneurs seeking to grow their companies.
Spain Provides A Financial Infrastructure Comparison
Chiriac cited Spain as a comparison for the Romanian initiative. In 2025, the European Investment Bank Group supported female entrepreneurship there with €620 million, she said.
She described that as the highest volume in the European Union. Six Spanish banks participate in the Gender Finance Lab, according to her remarks.
Chiriac emphasised the existence of financial infrastructure rather than rhetoric about equality. Spain’s example, she argued, shows that equal opportunity can be supported through financing arrangements.
The comparison does not establish the Romanian funding gap’s size. CONAF intends to collect data on how women entrepreneurs access funding before identifying any missing financial instrument.
Related coverage addresses women entrepreneurs’ funding access in Africa. That separate regional reporting does not provide results for CONAF’s planned Romanian barometer.
Data Would Guide A Proposed Capital Bridge
Chiriac described the barometer as a starting point rather than a final result. Its findings would be presented to European banks and financial institutions to identify financing instruments that might be needed.
If a gap emerges, she said, the next question would concern the missing financial instrument. She outlined a possible mechanism called “Women in Economy – Capital Bridge”.
Under that approach, CONAF would contribute companies and real-economy data. Banks would provide financing capacity, while European institutions would offer expertise and tools aligning capital supply and demand.
Chiriac said success should be evaluated by funding that actually reaches companies with growth potential. She described capital failing to reach a viable business as an economic problem.
Monica Faro Echaniz, Communications Manager at the European Investment Bank, also addressed the role of financing. She highlighted data, appropriate financial instruments and collaboration with institutions familiar with companies’ realities.
CONAF and the Romanian Embassy in Spain organised the gala with the National Heritage Institute. It brought together institutional representatives, business leaders, entrepreneurs and members of Spain’s Romanian community.
Related coverage follows cross-border business partnership discussions. Those separate exchanges also concern business cooperation across countries.
For Romania, CONAF’s proposed assessment comes before any financing mechanism. Data on how women entrepreneurs access capital would first go to banks and European institutions to determine what instruments are needed.
