There's a push for financial institutions to create more products designed especially for women in business and tap into an under-served yet growing market.
The Fixing Finance for Women in Micro Business forum will explore new research and hear personal stories from women who faced significant barriers on Friday.
Key speakers include Commonwealth Bank Group customer advocate Angela MacMillan, Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson, AMP Foundation general manager Nicola Stokes and Per Capita thinktank executive director Emma Dawson.
The online forum is being run by not-for-profit Global Sisters and is open to anyone working in banking, finance, superannuation or other related industries.
The organisation's founder and chief executive Mandy Richards said women in business needed sound financial advice from funding right through to retirement planning.
"Women have been, at best, under-served. At worst, they've been excluded from access or caused harm by financial products and services - based on outdated risk criteria," Ms Richards said.
"There has been a general failure to recognise and embrace the potential of micro business to secure long-term financial security.
"Fortunately now, that's changing. And we firmly believe these institutions can seize a commercial opportunity to access this rapidly growing, but largely hidden, segment of the market while also helping address some of our most serious social problems."