FinDev Guide to Women's Financial Inclusion

Aude de Montesquiou, Global Facilitator for FinEquity, discusses the community of practice's current work and future ambitions to support women.

The Central Bank of Nigeria has identified eight Strategic Imperatives. With their respective communities of practice, they aim to close the country’s financial inclusion gender gap.

Research has shown that financial inclusion can contribute to improvements in both financial and non-financial outcomes for young women. However, the ~590 million young women in the world (defined as women ages 15-24) are a tremendously diverse group, transitioning through different life stages within vastly different contexts. Considering these differences, among which segments of young women could improved financial services make the most impact? 

Digital remittances can form a gateway to better financial health and inclusion for migrants and their families. Yet one key factor influencing remittance behavior is often overlooked: gender.

An IMF working paper looks at who fintech is helping and who it is leaving behind, using cross-country and emerging fintech data to see if fintech use is associated with narrowing class, rural and gender divides.

While adopting gender-smart strategies is something every investor should strive for - both because it is the right thing to do and because it makes good business sense - there is no straightforward roadmap for how to do it.

This report describes PICAP’s approach towards achieving and mainstreaming gender equality and social inclusion to ensure that women and the most vulnerable are fully represented in climate disaster risk financing products (e.g., parametric insurance).

This report assesses how Bangladesh is cutting gaps in gender equality and social inclusion in financial services and shows how support for women entrepreneurs alongside better technology access can boost sustainable development.

This practical field guide walks executives and data scientists through recommendations for ensuring that revised and new credit scoring methods are not unintentionally excluding women or any other underrepresented group.

This paper presents the 10 finalists and semi-finalists of the 2022 European Microfinance Award as case studies within three broad approaches that FSPs can take: Meeting women's needs through financial products and services; Mainstreaming gender equity and leadership within the institution; and Empowering women with non-financial services. 

The Diagnostic Guidance is intended for funders and facilitators who support women’s financial inclusion efforts and who want to gain behavioral insights into the uptake and usage of financial services among women.

This landscape report sheds light on how women micro-entrepreneurs use mobile for business in low- and middle-income countries.

The primary objectives of this work were to understand how platform-specific responses can unlock social and economic value, identify best practices and provide guidance to key stakeholders to improve platform services for rural women.

This paper explores and evaluates the best ways to reach the less digitally and financially literate segments of the community in Bangladesh, especially women, to ensure that ultimately no one is left behind.

This report presents key insights and opportunities from Hindustan Unilever Limited’s business-to-business Shakti digitization program to implement the UN Principles for Responsible Digital Payments and build scale.

This is one of several case studies looking at the role of design in digital financial services (DFS) for women focusing on examples where research findings have translated into design that has eased and encouraged women’s use of DFS.

This slide deck shares female workers’ experiences and how financial services can help make platforms more inclusive.

This study examines Women's Micro Bank Limited and UNCDF's design of a branchless banking solution, the Mama Bank Access Point initiative, which serves unbanked women in rural Papua New Guinea.

Building on findings from a recent customer research, this learning paper aims to understand what services female customers value, prioritize and need.

Research findings from Uganda sharing results from qualitative interviews with women who report greater sense of trust and relationship with the bank and improved saving behavior as a result of coaching.

This slide deck charts the journey of a pilot on behavioral communication to encourage women to make small saving deposits.

This working paper identifies challenges in access to finance for women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises  in Viet Nam and recommends ways to improve it.

This report shares findings from a financial diaries research MFC conducted to enhance the quality and usage of digital financial services among female traders in Kenya.

Indonesia has the largest number of Muslims of any country in the world, at 237 million. This study looks at whether Sharia finance may better work for women's financial inclusion.

This publication offers an overview and gender-disaggregated data analysis of the Nigerian lending market, and provides valuable insights on 100 million adult Nigerians' behaviors and financial preferences.