Resumen
Women entrepreneurs play a substantial role in the sustainable economic development in the world. In Bangladesh, the contribution of women entrepreneurs is still insignificant compared to male entrepreneurs due to several barriers to their financial inclusion. Recent government policies have encouraged the growth of women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. However, ease of access to finance for women entrepreneurs has been a struggle. The bank loan policies and promotion are not convincing enough for the women entrepreneurs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of the country. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to explore the barriers in accessing bank loans caused by the underdeveloped marketing efforts by the banks for the women entrepreneurs. This study applies a qualitative approach using semi-structured in-depth interviews of 50 women entrepreneurs from three metropolitan cities of Bangladesh. The results revealed that lengthy, complicated & risky process, insufficient information, lack of knowledge of the bank staff and their negative preconceptions about women are some of the major causes resulting in the refusal of availing bank loans by the women entrepreneurs. Keywords: SME, Women Entrepreneur, Financial Products, Bank loans