In the third installment in our Leadership Insights series, Mary Ellen Iskenderian discusses the data we have about women's financial inclusion – and why it's not yet being used to tap into this underserved and promising market. 

Alessandra Heinemann, Senior Social Protection Specialist at The World Bank, sat down with us to discuss the connection between social protection programs and mitigating gender-based violence, how digital cash transfers are empowering women, and the launch of a new e-learning course that can be used by the FinEquity community.

Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, low-income women remain underserved in their ability to access, use, and benefit from financial products. Closing this gap requires a better understanding of the types of savings products and services that women value, prioritize, and need.

Despite their evident importance to the economy, Mozambican women entrepreneurs still face great challenges in accessing financial services and products that could help them find personal economic stability and business success. Designing gender-intelligent solutions is crucial to overcoming the challenges faced by women in Mozambican society and is an excellent opportunity for companies to reach a wider customer base and enable women entrepreneurs to grow their incomes.

Recent years have seen a boon in interest in digital financial literacy (DFL) – it is now widely understood and accepted as a key enabler in the journey to women’s digital financial inclusion. Within FinEquity's new DFL Knowledge Guide, we have collected and collated a series of resources that approach DFL from three different directions. Check it out! 

FinEquity Facilitator Aude de Montesquiou reflects on a European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) Week discussion on why promoting gender balance and diverse leadership at all levels of financial services is key to creating gender-equitable financial systems.

A member guest blog by Rathi Mani-Kandt, Head of Women’s Entrepreneurship and Financial Inclusion, CARE and Emma Langbridge, Entrepreneurship Communications Advisor, CARE.

The processes used to design and distribute financial products—and the power dynamics underlying those steps—have significant effects on social and financial outcomes. Developing World Markets' assessment tool analyzes core business processes of inclusive financial institutions - they share some of their initial findings here. 

How do women-run microbusinesses differ from their men-run counterparts? How do the financial lives of both segments differ from each other? What kind of financial products could help women-run businesses grow? Findings from MSC (MicroSave) and L-IFT's Corner Shop Diaries research in Asia and Africa can help answer some of these questions.