Abstract: The paper aims to find out: i) what problems/ challenges are facing micro - scale women entrepreneurs in the Maldives; ii) in what industries are these small-scale women entrepreneurs engaged in; iii) what measures have been put in place by the Maldivian government and other institutions to assist such micro-scale women entrepreneurs; and iv) what can be recommended in future for micro-scale women entrepreneurs in the Maldives. The study employs 24 case studies , Key Informant Interviews and Focus group Discussions. The main challenge that women and youth MSMEs face is adequate and timely financing on competitive terms particularly longer terms and limited human resource availability for scaling up their businesses. The policy and regulatory issues, institutional weaknesses in the absence of credit appraisal and risk management / monitoring tools affect the aspiring and existing entrepreneur to enter the MSME arena. Most MSMEs have limited access to larger markets in terms of market linkages, transport, telecommunications information exchange which seriously undermine the demand for their products.