Access to a mobile phone is not enough. The BOMA Project works to overcome illiteracy and innumeracy to bring digital financial services to women living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.

To realize the potential gains of financial inclusion, more intentional efforts are needed to close persistent gender gaps. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has developed three core principles for advancing women’s financial inclusion and economic empowerment.

A new Female-Focused Fintech Prize aims to connect and bring attention to fintech products working for women.

In honor of International Women’s Day, FinDev Gateway features FinEquity (formerly known as the Women’s Financial Inclusion Community of Practice), a special corner of FinDev where practitioners working to increase women’s financial inclusion can share ideas, resources and lessons learned. Uloma Ogba of UNCDF tells us what she values about this community of practice.

A recent FINCA survey of clients in DR Congo shows that women entrepreneurs are confined to the smallest, least profitable businesses. Getting a realistic picture of the obstacles women face helps prepare us for the task ahead of shifting the ground in women’s favor.

As the microfinance sector has matured, client protection principles have been introduced around issues such as interest rates and product transparency, fair pricing and appropriate product design. But where do gender-based risks fit into these principles?

We can’t achieve women’s financial inclusion without considering harmful social norms and trying to change them.

Grameen Foundation India shares how they are working on the first step of improving women’s digital financial literacy.

Mobile offers significant potential to engage people at scale, connecting them to services and solutions that can improve their everyday lives. The rise of mobile banking products, such as Safaricom’s mPesa in Kenya and other digital financial services, show that overcoming specific contextual challenges and responding to the demand of low-income people at scale, requires digitally-led solutions.

Data2X calls on key global bodies to recognize the importance of sex-disaggregated data, after attending AFI's Global Policy Forum earlier this month.