The Scotiabank Women Initiative® (SWI) announced it has increased its commitment to deploy capital to women-owned and women-led businesses in Canada to $10 Billion by 2025. Building on its initial $3 Billion deployment, which was fulfilled ahead of schedule last year, the program has further enhanced its contribution which today is over $4 Billion in capital deployment.

"We've seen incredible success and growth in The Scotiabank Women initiative in its first three-years, with over $4 billion in capital deployed to date and thousands of women engaged across Canada," says Dan Rees, Scotiabank's Group Head of Canadian Banking. "In response to the pandemic, we surpassed our original commitment early, as we helped women entrepreneurs transition to a virtual environment during unprecedented economic challenges. With a renewed $10 Billion commitment, we are furthering the Bank's mission to advance women-led businesses, which are essential components to the recovery of the Canadian economy."

The Scotiabank Women Initiative has accomplished many key milestones since inception, including:

  • Engaged +13,000 women-led entrepreneurs across the country 
    through Un-Mentorship Boot Camps™ and Mentorship sessions 
    that help women increase their business savvy by networking 
    and exploring business challenges.
  • Collaborated with +15 organizations including StrikeUP, The 
    Forum, Réseau des Femmes d'affaires du Québec and MNP.
  • Integrated The Scotiabank Women Initiative into several of 
    its key business lines including Global Banking and Markets 
    (GBM), Global Wealth Management (GWM) and International 
    Banking (IB)
  • Delivered tailored programs designed specifically for women- 
    led businesses in Jamaica and Costa Rica.
  • Inaugurated Women in Auto Accelerator, a first-of-its-kind 
    mentoring and networking accelerator program to help women 
    build their careers in the Quebec automotive industry.
  • Initiated The Scotiabank Women Initiative® Mentor Program, 
    Powered by The Forum, which pairs early-stage and established 
    women entrepreneurs with business leaders and experienced 
    entrepreneurs for one-to-one mentorship.
  • Launched The Scotiabank Women Initiative Digital Hub in 
    collaboration with Shopify, Google Canada, Pinterest, 
    LinkedIn, Facebook and HubSpot to deliver key resources to 
    help women entrepreneurs adapt to uncertain economic times.

As part of its increased commitment, The Scotiabank Women Initiative will continue to help women in more ways to pursue their best professional and financial futures by providing unbiased access to capital and tailored solutions, bespoke specialized education, holistic advisory services, and mentorship.