On December 5, 2025, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a loan agreement with Caja Municipal de Ahorro y Crédito de Arequipa S.A. (“CMA”), the country’s largest regional credit union based in Arequipa, the second largest city in the Republic of Peru. (“CMA”), the country’s largest local credit union based in the city of Arequipa, signed a loan agreement.
JICA’s loan will be used to finance women’s small and micro businesses in the country, which is expected to contribute to improving women’s access to finance, and CMA is conducting training programs to improve the capacity of women business owners, and JICA will promote collaboration in such areas as human resource development.
The contract signing ceremony Visits to women-owned businesses that are CMA’s loan recipients
Project Summary
Loan recipient
Caja Municipal de Ahorro y Crédito de Arequipa S.A.
Country (region covered)
Republic of Peru
Loan/Investment
US$65 million
Project Name
Women’s Small and Micro Business Support Project
Business Objectives
By providing loans to CMAs, this project aims to expand credit to women-owned small and micro businesses in Peru, thereby contributing to improving women’s employment opportunities and correcting income disparities.
Business Overview
All JICA loan funds will be used by CMA to provide loans to women’s small and micro businesses.
Contribution to SDGs
Goal 5 (Achieve gender equality)
Goal 8 (both job satisfaction and economic growth)
Goal 17 (Let’s achieve our goals in partnership)
Other
The G7 2X Challenge: Financing for Women initiative promotes the economic empowerment of women by encouraging development finance institutions in G7 countries, including JICA, to provide their own funding to foster women entrepreneurs and business leaders and to promote their entry into the labor market. This project will also contribute to the 2X Challenge Initiative as it promotes financial inclusion of women.
＜Reference: 2X Challenge Secretariat’s official website
2X Challenge
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