Financial Resilience Institute
October 9, 2025 · 3 mins
Despite Strong Business Financial Resilience for Small and Medium Enterprises in India, Women-Led Businesses Face Persistent Challenges
Delhi, India – Financial Resilience Institute, an independent leading authority on financial resilience and well-being globally, has just published its new report ‘Business Financial Health and Resilience of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Women-Owned SMEs in India’. SMEs in India care about their business financial resilience and are exhibiting strong business financial health and resilience across a number of indicators. Still, access to financial help challenges and barriers exist, in particular for Women-Owned or Women-Led SMEs, with significant opportunities for business financial health innovation and impact by financial institutions and other organizations to catalyze positive change.
Based on the market-leading study, SMEs in India report exhibiting strong business financial health and resilience, with strengths across a number of key indicators. Still, there are key areas in which many SMEs are struggling to receive the support they need from financial institutions (FIs) with a very high interest in maintaining or improving their business financial resilience. Key insights from the study as of June 2025 include:
- 93% of SMEs in India report they want to better understand their business financial resilience and how they can improve it, with the concept of business financial health and resilience highly relevant.
- 73% of SMEs report having liquid cash or retained earnings of over six months to cover their business’ operating expenses Women-Owned SMEs face more additional barriers in accessing business banking financial products and solutions: nearly 3 in 4 Women-Owned SMEs (76%) report facing 3 or more difficulties in accessing business banking products, support, or solutions in the past 12 to 24 months compared to 68% of Men-Owned SMEs as of June 2025.
- 42% of SMEs report that extreme weather events, including heat, floods, and fires, have negatively affected their businesses’ financial situation over the past 12 to 24 months. The impact is particularly evident among Women-Owned SMEs and agricultural businesses, where over a third report being negatively affected.
- While SMEs rate their primary financial institution highly for supporting their financial resilience, 92% report that SME financial institutions can do more to support their financial health and resilience, with the study highlighting specific products, services and value-added offerings that can help FIs can offer to help SMEs move forward.
- There are significant business benefits in Financial Institutions (FIs) investing in helping their SME customers to maintain or improve their business financial resilience, with data included in the report.
Made possible thanks to the support of Standard Chartered, the non-profit Institute’s report shares independent data and insights on the business financial health and resilience of SMEs in India and many new, holistic indicators and data from a disaggregated gender lens perspective. Data was gathered through an online study, designed and conducted by the Institute and in field in June 2025, based on sample size of 409 SMEs with annual revenues between $US100,000 and $2MM. While this report and indicators shared relate specifically to the situation in India, many of the indicators and related insights have relevance for other markets.
Based on the recent findings included in the report, the Institute’s CEO and Founder, Eloise Duncan, stated, “Our study highlights the strengths SMEs in India report they demonstrate and just how relevant and important a focus on business financial health and resilience is. The study also highlights significant opportunities for Financial Institutions and others to better support SMEs overall and in particular Women-Owned or Women-Led SMEs that may be facing barriers. By better supporting the business financial health and resilience of small businesses, we can help grow overall resilience and prosperity.”
The full report can be accessed here: https://www.finresilienceinstitute.org/business-financial-health-and-resilience-report/
For press enquiries or to request an interview regarding Financial Resilience Institute’s key findings in the report contact:
Katie Sutter, Business Development, Communications and Impact Consultant katie@finresilienceinstitute.org
About Financial Resilience Institute
Financial Resilience Institute Financial Resilience Institute is a non-profit organization and a leading independent authority on financial resilience and financial well-being in Canada and globally. The Institute is working to help improve the financial resilience, health and well-being of all global citizens, and in particular more those who are more financially vulnerable or underserved. The Institute partners with financial institutions, policymakers, employers and financial health innovators globally to develop and implement evidence-based solutions that improve financial resilience, health and well-being for individuals, small businesses, employees and communities. More information is available at: www.finresilienceinstitute.org
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Definitions of SMEs and Women-Owned SMEs
There are different definitions of Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) in different countries and markets, with no one single definition. For the purposes of this study, SMEs are defined as businesses with annual revenues between $US 100,000 US and $US 2 million operating in India, excluding start-ups that have been in business for less than one year. All SME survey respondents are primary or joint financial decision-makers for their business.
Women-Owned or Women-Led SMEs are defined as businesses where a women owns a majority stake in the business of greater than 51% with this informed by the OECD and WE-Finance Code Guidance.
Seymour Financial Resilience Index® is a registered trademark used under license by the Financial Resilience Society.
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