• Women entrepreneurs primarily fund their businesses through personal savings (68%) and bank loans (48%) as well as venture capital (34%)
  • Women are at the forefront of AI adoption, utilizing data analytics and pattern recognition (52%), and employing chatbots or virtual assistants (51%)

Amman, Jordan: Visa, a world leader in digital payments, has announced the findings of its first Women SMB Digitization Index, which indicates a growing awareness among women entrepreneurs of digitization and AI in futureproofing their business. The survey underpins She’s Next, a global advocacy program that spotlights women entrepreneurs who are actively financing, managing, and expanding their businesses.

Visa ran the Women SMB Digitization Index in 2025, which surveyed Jordanian women business owners who hold a notable share of senior leadership roles to have a better understanding of the motivations and challenges of this important group. The Index scores businesses based on five indicators: online presence, digital payments acceptance, payment security awareness, customer engagement, and customer retention.

Recognizing their pivotal role as catalysts for economic and social development, women-led businesses are actively shaping Jordan's economy with a distinct blend of resilience, social consciousness, and technological adoption.

Leila Serhan, Senior Vice President & Group Country Manager for North Africa, Levant & Pakistan, commented: “She’s Next unlocks the boundless potential of women business owners providing the essential stepping stone to scale and expand collectively. This year we surveyed Jordanian women entrepreneurs in the Women SMB Digitization Index. The findings highlighted the positive economic impact of women entrepreneurs. Despite their own personal hurdles and personal growth ambitions, women business owners are motivated by financial independence, and a deep desire to create supportive work environments which uplift societies – an ethos that is very close to Visa’s own mission of uplifting everyone, everywhere.  Women entrepreneurs are integrating payment technologies and artificial intelligence to overcome obstacles and drive their businesses forward which really shows their progressive mindset.”

Key findings from the Women SMB Digitalization Index:

Business challenges, motivations, and support

  • Women entrepreneurs face gender bias (70%), with common perceptions questioning their ability to separate business and personal matters (33%), willingness to take risks (31%), and handle high-pressure situations and crises (31%).
  • Despite their ambition, women entrepreneurs face significant challenges in innovation in products and services (46%), customer acquisition strategies (44%), digital transformation (42%) and legal support (33%).
  • Top three drivers for women entrepreneurs in Jordan while setting up their venture include desire to make more money (38%), personal and professional growth (34%), and financial independence (32%). Interestingly, more women (24%) were motivated by the need to create a workplace supportive of women, in comparison to 22% of men who were driven by the need to solve real-world problems.

Funding and financial support

  • Women entrepreneurs primarily fund their businesses through personal savings (68%) and bank loans (48%) as well as venture capital (34%).
  • When additional funding becomes available, women prioritize initiatives directly linked to growth and scaling, with 40% allocating funds to creating new products or services and increasing cybersecurity while doing business (30%).
  • For financial advisory support, women-led SMBs rely on financial advisors (35%), and business forums and communities (19%).

Payments, security and AI integration

  • Women-led businesses demonstrate a strategic balance for wider market penetration, with 87% utilizing both offline and online sales channels, and online sales contributing a significant 54% of their revenue.
  • A notable 88% of women entrepreneurs operate both cash and cashless payment methods with 7% exclusively on a cashless basis, showcasing a strong commitment to digital finance.
  • Women are at the forefront of AI adoption, using Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools like ChatGPT (51%), utilizing data analytics and pattern recognition (52%), and employing chatbots or virtual assistants (51%).
  • In the critical area of payments, AI is a game-changer, with 67% reporting increased accuracy in transactions, 59% benefiting from enhanced fraud detection, and 58% experiencing streamlined customer authentication and verification.

With the launch of She’s Next for the first time in Jordan, Visa is taking a transformative step to empower and connect women entrepreneurs with new opportunities and resources. These insights from the Women SMB Digitization Index not only demonstrate the resilience and innovation of women-led businesses, but also underscore Visa’s unwavering commitment to supporting inclusive economic progress. As Jordanian women embrace digital solutions and AI to scale their ventures and drive positive change, Visa continues to champion access, opportunity, and security for all, laying the groundwork for an equitable future where every business and individual can thrive.

Since 2020, Visa has globally invested $3.8 million in over 250 grants and coaching for women SME owners as part of the company's broader commitment to support businesses internationally.

About Visa Inc.

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable, and secure payment network, enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere, and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

Media Contacts:
Asda’a BCW, Amman, Jordan
Bailasan Badwan | Al Sharif Mohamed Al Ghaleb
b.badwan@asdaa-amman.com | a.alghaleb@asdaa-amman.com

Visa
Eman ElGamal
Eelgamal@visa.com