About We Initiative:

BLC Bank is the first Bank in the MENA region to be committed to women’s economic empowerment through its now internationally renowned program We Initiative which was launched in 2012. We Initiative offers a unique customer value proposition with innovative products and services allowing women to get financed, grow their expertise and increase their exposure. As a Bank committed to granting equal opportunities to women, BLC Bank undertook internal measures to promote gender equality and provide a fair working environment.

BLC Bank also spearheaded an additional two major achievements by becoming the first financial institution from the MENA region:

1. To join the UN Women Empowerment Principles (UN WEPs) Leadership Group as one of the 35 worldwide members
2. To join the Global Banking Alliance for Women (GBA) and to be part of its governing board, which it now chairs since September 2015.

In just 4 years, We Initiative impacted the local lending to women in the Lebanese banking sector, increasing it from 10% to 26%.

Through this program, BLC Bank became an international role model and set the trend locally and globally influencing, till date, the creation of  women  empowerment  programs  in  no  less  than  25 countries across the globe (Latin America, Asia, Africa and Middle East). Considering it a global best practice, institutions like the IFC, GBA and Oxford University have made We Initiative the subject of case studies.

DBS Digital was established in 2011 by the successful entrepreneur Inass Abdulaziz with a mission to provide a comprehensive suite of digital services. Over short period of time, it became one of the leading agencies in Kuwait with over 30 employees. Today, DBS Digital is a Premier Google Partner and was recently recognized by Facebook Inc. as one of the top five agencies in the MENA region. DBS Digital is part of Dotspacegroup, a boutique creative agency.

The Lebanese League for Women in Business (LLWB) founded in 2006 out of belief in women empowerment.  Since then, and for more than 10 years, we have provided capacity building, networking opportunities, and access to funding and career guidance for over 220 women across Lebanon.

As a socio-economic, apolitical and non-religious association, LLWB is a strong upholder of an all-inclusive, non-discriminatory, and equal opportunities policy where all of the women who benefit from our services are selected solely based on their merit and professional promise. We are driven by our mission to encourage women to take the lead and succeed, and continuously strive to make this possible through a diverse program of capacity building courses, knowledge sharing seminars and professional training workshops.

We are proud of what we have managed to do till now, we at LLWB are never content to settle for the achievements of the past. Our vision for 2017, beyond the further development of all our existing initiatives, is to strive to be the leading platform for women in business in Lebanon  to reach their full potential through skills development, sustainable growth opportunities through strategic alliances and gender equality.