Women in Open-air and Cross-Border Trade In Kenya: Insights From the Financial Diaries Research

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation commissioned MSC to conduct an action research program to enhance the quality and usage of digital financial services among female traders in open-air and cross-border markets in Kenya. As part of this research, 6,000+ transactions were analyzed, and the report shares findings from this financial diaries research.

The report further unpacks the financial lives of women-led MSMEs and assesses the constraints they grapple with in open-air and cross-border markets. The research also uncovers in-depth knowledge on the opportunity to serve this segment with quality digital financial services to accelerate financial inclusion.