Visa and Birbank Biznes to launch the fourth wave of She’s Next in Azerbaijan, accelerating female entrepreneurs' digital growth

This year, the initiative will focus on equipping aspiring and established women entrepreneurs with digital skills while also expanding reach to more women business owners across Azerbaijan's regions.

Visa, the global leader in digital payments, announces the fourth wave of the She’s Next initiative in Azerbaijan. For the second consecutive year, the program is implemented with the support of Birbank Biznes, one of the leading providers of business and banking services for entrepreneurs.

The previous wave of She’s Next Empowered by Visa, held in 2025 as the educational and competitive program "Create Your Success Story" with the support of Birbank Biznes, attracted more than 400 applications from women across the country. Participants received access to online educational courses through the She’s Next digital community platform, while finalists further refined their business strategies, guided by experienced mentors. Six winning entrepreneurs were awarded grants totaling AZN 60,000 to accelerate the growth of their ventures.

The 2026 edition builds on that foundation by introducing a new concept, She's Next in Digital. Designed around the idea that meaningful change starts with one simple step, the program will provide women entrepreneurs with practical knowledge, expert guidance, and mentorship necessary to compete and thrive in today's technology-driven economy. Additionally, the fourth wave of She’s Next will place particular emphasis on expanding access to women entrepreneurs both in Baku and across the regions, with a special focus on creating greater opportunities for aspiring and established business owners in the regions to participate and develop new skills.

“She’s Next is more than a social initiative supporting women’s entrepreneurship for us. We see it as a long-term platform that brings together knowledge, mentorship, networking, and financial opportunities to help women entrepreneurs build and grow their businesses. More than 1,000 women have already participated in training sessions held as part of the initiative. Over the past two years, the number of women entrepreneurs among our customers has increased by 1.5 times, while the volume of microloans provided to them has grown fivefold.This year, our main goal is to expand the reach of She’s Next and make it more accessible to women both in Baku and across the regions. We want both established entrepreneurs and women who are just starting their entrepreneurial journey to benefit from the knowledge, connections, and growth opportunities offered by this platform. Because for us, the most important measure of success is not simply how many women we reach, but the real impact we have on the growth of their businesses,” said Zakir Khanmammadov, Head of the Payment Products Office at Kapital Bank.

“We are excited to bring the fourth edition of She's Next to Azerbaijan together with our long-standing partner, Birbank Biznes. Today, no business can succeed without embracing digital tools—from establishing an online presence and accepting cashless payments to automating operations. By focusing on tech skills, we are helping women entrepreneurs build businesses that are better prepared for the modern economy. At the same time, by expanding our outreach to the regions, we want to ensure that women in every part of Azerbaijan have access to opportunities they need to grow,” said Nurlan Hajiyev, Visa Senior Director, Country Manager for Azerbaijan.

According to official statistics, women own approximately 23% of businesses in Azerbaijan. Around 70% of female entrepreneurs are registered outside Baku, while approximately 30% are based in the capital. These figures underscore both the growing entrepreneurial potential across the regions and the importance of ensuring equal access to education and mentorship regardless of location—one of the key priorities of She’s Next this year.

Since its launch in Azerbaijan in 2023, the global She’s Next Empowered by Visa initiative has been supporting the growth of women entrepreneurship by providing education, mentorship, networking opportunities, and financial support. Over the past three years, the program has helped hundreds of women entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses, develop new capabilities, and unlock opportunities for sustainable growth.

If you are interested in participating in this year's edition, we invite you to follow the She’s Next official WhatsApp channel to receive updates and be the first to learn when applications open: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbDtfJa4IBhGd1KhcO0D.

About Visa

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 each year. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments 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.

About She’s Next Empowered by Visa

She’s Next Empowered by Visa is a global initiative launched in 2019 to support women in business. The program provides participants with access to educational opportunities, mentoring, and funding. Since its launch in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, more than 45,000 women have joined the initiative, and female entrepreneurs have received over $300,000 in grants to support the growth of their businesses.

About Birbank Biznes

As a product of Kapital Bank, Birbank Biznes is committed to supporting entrepreneurs and their businesses by offering innovative and convenient solutions for efficient business management. Birbank Biznes clients can receive assistance anytime through the live chat feature. To learn more about the Birbank Biznes system – designed to help entrepreneurs save time and streamline operations – visit https://birbank.business or call the information center at 896.