Resolution JPRFM-2026-008-F: Norm for Access to Financing for Women Entrepreneurs

RESOLUTION No. JPRFM-2026-008-F THE BOARD OF FINANCIAL AND MONETARY POLICY AND REGULATION

CONSIDERING:

That, Article 226 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador prescribes that public servants and persons acting under state authority shall exercise only the competencies and powers attributed to them in the Constitution and the Law;

That, Article 227 of the same Constitution states that Public Administration constitutes a service to the community governed by principles of effectiveness, efficiency, quality, hierarchy, coordination, planning, among others;

That, the first clause of Article 303 of the constitutional norm determines that the formulation of monetary, credit, exchange, and financial policies is the exclusive faculty of the Executive Function and shall be implemented through the Central Bank of Ecuador;

That, Article 309 of the Constitution of the Republic establishes that the national financial system is composed of the public, private, and popular and solidary sectors. Each of these sectors will have specific and differentiated control norms and entities, responsible for preserving their security, stability, transparency, and solidity;

That, on October 13, 2025, the Organic Reformatory Law of the Organic Code of Monetary and Financial was published in the Sixth Supplement of the Official Registry No. 142;

That, Article 13 of the Organic Code of Monetary and Financial creates the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation, part of the Executive Function, as an organ with functional, technical, and institutional autonomy, and in its decisions, responsible for the formulation of monetary, credit, financial, securities, insurance, and prepaid comprehensive health care services policy and regulation. The Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation shall be the highest governing body of the Central Bank of Ecuador;

That, Article 17 of the aforementioned Code, in its pertinent part, determines that:

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"(...) For the fulfillment of these functions, the Board shall issue norms in matters within its competence, without altering legal provisions. The Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation may issue regulations by segments, economic activities, and other criteria. It may even reform or repeal regulations from the former Board of Monetary Policy and Regulation, Board of Financial Policy and Regulation, or Board of Monetary and Financial Policy and Regulation. All norms and policies issued by the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation in the exercise of its functions, duties, and powers must be backed by duly substantiated technical and legal reports (...)";

That, Article 18 of the same establishes the specific functions of the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation, in the financial sphere, especially in its items 2, 4, and 13, in which this Institution is authorized to issue regulations that allow maintaining the integrity, solidity, sustainability, and stability of the national financial, securities, insurance, and prepaid comprehensive health care services systems, as well as to formulate policies and issue regulations that promote financial inclusion in the country, in coordination with public and private sector entities related to this area; and to promote financial inclusion processes and the full exercise of financial users' rights, respectively;

That, Article 24 of the same Code provides that the acts of the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation enjoy the presumption of legality and shall be expressed through resolutions that will have mandatory force, which shall govern from their publication in the Official Registry, or from the date of their issuance when so determined by the Board, in accordance with the subject matter;

That, Article 25.2 of the same determines that the Technical Secretariat of the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation is exercised by the Central Bank of Ecuador, and Article 25.3 establishes as its functions the elaboration of technical and legal reports supporting regulation proposals, providing technical and administrative support to the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation, and those assigned by said Board;

That, Article 209 of the Organic Code of Monetary and Financial, in its pertinent part, establishes: "(...) in credits granted to women entrepreneurs in all their diversity registered in the National Registry of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Competitiveness, the Board must establish specific guidelines that include a grace period during which no default interest or penalties will be generated. The implementation of these benefits will be conditioned on the presentation of viable business plans, approved by the corresponding financial entity";

That, General Provision Twenty-Ninth of the same states: "In current legislation where reference is made, indistinctly, to the Board of Monetary and Financial Policy and Regulation, the Board of Monetary Policy and Regulation; or to the Board of Financial Policy and Regulation, replace and understand as 'Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation';

That, on March 10, 2025, the Organic Law to Promote the Economy of Women Entrepreneurs of Ecuador was published in the Third Supplement of the Official Registry No. 758, with the objective of promoting the economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs in all their diversity, through the creation of financial, fiscal, and social mechanisms that promote their access to resources, training, and markets, guaranteeing equality of opportunities in the economic sphere by promoting entrepreneurial and financing culture to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem;

That, the aforementioned Organic Law to Promote the Economy of Women Entrepreneurs of Ecuador, in General Provision Fifth, establishes: "FIFTH.- For the only time, it is ordered to all public and private institutions and companies providing credit reference services to eliminate from their records the historical information of obligations of women entrepreneurs in all their diversity registered in the National Registry of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Competitiveness, whose total consolidated debt in the financial system is less than three thousand United States dollars (US$ 3,000.0), from financial institutions and any company that has granted credit to their clients. The elimination of the record does not imply or entail the loss of collection rights that belong to the legitimate creditors of said obligations in accordance with current legal regulations. The Board of Financial Policy and Regulation will issue the necessary provisions for the execution of this provision";

That, on October 28, 2025, the General Regulation of the Organic Law to Promote the Economy of Women Entrepreneurs of Ecuador was published in the Seventh Supplement of the Official Registry No. 153, through which it is determined that the entity in charge of financial and monetary policy and regulation will issue the relevant regulations to comply with what is provided in this Regulation;

That, First Transitional Provision of the Organic Reformatory Law of the Organic Code of Monetary and Financial determines that the members of the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation, sworn in on September 16, 2025, by the National Assembly, will continue to exercise their functions for the periods they were designated and will maintain their labor continuity and acquired rights;

That, through letter No. T.233-SGJ-25-098, dated September 5, 2025, signed by the Constitutional President of the Republic, addressed to the President of the National Assembly, the list of candidates for the designation of the Members of the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation was sent; as well as the temporality of their stay within the initial period;

That, the Plenary of the National Assembly, on September 16, 2025, designated and swore in the members of the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation, in the persons of: Gustavo Estuardo Camacho Dávila; Silvia Daniela Moya Arteta; Roberto Javier Basantes Romero; and, María Isabel Camacho Cárdenas;

That, the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation, through ordinary session No. 007-2026, under hybrid mode, on March 06, 2026, reviewed the proposal sent via Memorandum No. BCE-BCE-2026-0072-M, dated March 02, 2026, by the General Manager of the Central Bank of Ecuador to the President of the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation; as well as Technical Report No. BCE-GEEE-017-2026 / BCE-SEMF-020-2026, dated March 03, 2026; and, Legal Report No. BCE-GJ-022-2026, dated March 04, 2026; and,

In exercise of its functions and in attention to Article 24 of the Organic Code of Monetary and Financial, the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation:

RESOLVES:

Sole Article.- Add, following Chapter LXVI "Norm for the establishment of minimum security measures, physical or non-physical, for the operation and functioning of offices, service points, and any other of the entities of the National Financial System", Title II "National Financial System", Book I "Monetary and Financial System" of the Codification of Monetary, Financial, Securities, and Insurance Resolutions, the following chapter:

"CHAPTER LXVII: NORM FOR ACCESS TO FINANCING FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

SECTION I: OBJECT, SCOPE, AND DEFINITIONS

Art. 1.- Object: To establish regulatory guidelines applicable to financial entities of the public, private, and popular and solidary financial sectors, for the design and implementation of preferential financial products with a gender perspective, destined for enterprises led by women entrepreneurs.

Art. 2.- Scope of application: This norm is mandatory for entities of the public, private, and popular and solidary financial sectors, under the supervision and control of the Superintendency of Banks and the Superintendency of Popular and Solidary Economy, respectively.

Art. 3.- Definitions: For the purposes of this norm, the following definitions will be considered:

a. Gender-perspective financial education and training. - A comprehensive training process that allows women to acquire knowledge and skills for the management of personal and business finances, promoting economic autonomy.

b. Entrepreneurship. - A project with an age of less than five years that requires resources to cover a need or take advantage of an opportunity and that needs to be organized and developed, has risks, and its purpose is to generate profit, employment, and development.

c. Women entrepreneurs. - Women in all their diversity who develop entrepreneurial economic activities in Ecuador, whether formalized or not, and who have fiscal residence in the country.

d. Formalized women entrepreneurs. - Those women entrepreneurs who reside permanently in Ecuador and meet the following requirements:

1. Have an active and updated Unique Taxpayer Registry (RUC) with the Internal Revenue Service (SRI);
2. Have fiscal residence in Ecuador;
3. Carry out lawful economic activities in the country; and,
4. Be registered in the National Registry of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Competitiveness.

e. Non-formalized women entrepreneurs. - Those women entrepreneurs who do not meet one or more of the requirements to be considered formalized women entrepreneurs, but who are registered in the National Registry of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Competitiveness.

f. National Registry of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Competitiveness. - Official electronic database, managed by the governing body of production, foreign trade, and investments, which registers formalized and non-formalized women entrepreneurs.

SECTION II: GUIDELINES FOR FINANCIAL ENTITIES

Art. 4.- Financial access equity: Entities of the public, private, and popular and solidary financial sectors must incorporate into their internal regulations, related to risk management and credit management, an equity approach that ensures non-discrimination and equal access for women entrepreneurs.

Art. 5.- Design of financial products and services with a gender perspective: Entities of the public, private, and popular and solidary financial sectors may consider the design of financial products and services directed at women entrepreneurs registered in the National Registry of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Competitiveness, considering:

1. Simplified requirements.
2. Guarantees adapted to the profile of the applicants.
3. Terms and grace periods, appropriate to the nature of the enterprise.
4. Financial education and capacity-building programs.

Within the design of credit products, entities of the public, private, and popular and solidary financial sectors may use, in accordance with applicable regulations, credit guarantee funds, in order to promote the financial inclusion of women entrepreneurs.

Art. 6.- Innovation and technological inclusion. - Entities of the public, private, and popular and solidary financial sectors will foster the use of digital channels, mobile platforms, and inclusive financial technologies that facilitate access to financial services, especially in rural areas or with low connectivity, guaranteeing the security and protection of personal data.

Art. 7.- Transparency and effective communication: All information about financial products must be presented in clear, accessible, and understandable language, indicating rates, terms, and conditions.

Financial entities of the public, private, and popular and solidary financial sectors may implement gender-perspective service mechanisms for women entrepreneurs, with the objective of reducing barriers to access the financial system.

Art. 8.- Financial education and strengthening: Entities of the public, private, and popular and solidary financial sectors may establish gender-perspective financial education and training programs, individually or through strategic alliances, in line with the National Financial Inclusion Policy and management instruments that impact it.

Art. 9.- Monitoring and results: The competent supervision and control bodies will instrument the necessary mechanisms to collect information corresponding to credit operations granted by public, private, and popular and solidary economy financial entities and placed for the benefit of women entrepreneurs, so that they are incorporated into the information structures that financial entities deliver to the corresponding control bodies.

Art. 10.- Supervision and control: The supervision and control of what is established in this norm will be the responsibility of the Superintendency of Banks and the Superintendency of Popular and Solidary Economy, within the scope of their competencies, applying any measure contemplated in current regulations.

UNIQUE GENERAL PROVISION. - The competent supervision and control bodies must adopt the necessary actions to guarantee the effective verification of compliance with what is established in this resolution. In the exercise of their attributions, they may require, from entities under their control, the information necessary to identify operations subject to the provisions of this norm.

The Superintendency of Banks and the Superintendency of Popular and Solidary Economy must send to the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation an annual report containing an evaluation of the results for the analysis of compliance with this Resolution, in which they must include at least the following:

1. Number of beneficiaries.
2. Amount and number of credit operations.
3. Delinquency rate.
4. Economic sector to which the credit operation is destined.
5. Territorial coverage.

TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

First. - The Superintendency of Banks and the Superintendency of Popular and Solidary Economy will send, within a period of three (3) months, counted from the issuance of this norm, to entities of the public, private, and popular and solidary financial sectors, the adjustments corresponding to the information structures that must be used to report the required statistical information.

Second. - Entities of the public, private, and popular and solidary financial sectors, that develop products under this norm, within a period of six (6) months, from its entry into force, must adapt their internal policies, operational manuals, and risk management, as well as their information systems, as appropriate, in order to ensure the correct implementation of the financial products and services contemplated in this resolution.

Third. - The governing body of Production, Foreign Trade, and Investments, within a maximum term of thirty (30) days, counted from the entry into force of this norm, must implement the necessary actions so that women entrepreneurs registered in the National Registry of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Competitiveness have access to a verifiable certificate that accredits their status as entrepreneurs before financial entities of the public, private, and popular and solidary financial sectors, in order to access the preferential financial products provided for under this resolution.

Fourth. - Within a term of ten (10) days counted from the publication of this norm, for the only time, the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade, and Investments, or whoever acts on its behalf, will send the detail of women entrepreneurs registered in the National Registry of Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Competitiveness, to the Superintendency of Banks; which in turn, within a term of five (5) days, will notify the referred list to institutions providing credit reference services.

These institutions, within a term of fifteen (15) days, for the execution of General Provisions Fifth and Sixth of the Organic Law to Promote the Economy of Women Entrepreneurs of Ecuador, will verify the cases of registered women entrepreneurs, whose historical information of overdue and written-off debts does not exceed a total consolidated amount of three thousand United States dollars (USD 3,000.00) in financial and non-financial institutions that carry out credit operations.

Once the established terms have expired, the Superintendency of Banks will inform the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation about the compliance with this provision".

FINAL PROVISION. - This resolution will enter into force from its issuance, without prejudice to its publication in the Official Registry.

The General Secretariat of the Central Bank of Ecuador is entrusted with its publication on the institutional website and the update of the Codification of Monetary, Financial, Securities, and Insurance Resolutions.

COMMUNICATE AND PUBLISH. - Given in the city of Quito D.M., on March 06, 2026.

THE PRESIDENT

Mgs. Gustavo Estuardo Camacho Dávila

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The aforementioned resolution was processed and signed by Master Gustavo Estuardo Camacho Dávila - President of the Board of Financial and Monetary Policy and Regulation, in the city of Quito D.M., on March 06, 2026.- I CERTIFY.

TECHNICAL SECRETARY

Mgs. Jennifer Mishel Carrillo Rosales