Empowering Women Through Financial Inclusion: Women's World Banking
Championing the Empowered Woman
Women’s World Banking is dedicated to securing the financial future of the economically empowered woman. She has access to financial and technological tools in her own name and is comfortable using them. She makes financial decisions for herself and her household, ensuring she has options for her own professional and personal growth, her kids stay in school and her family’s health needs are met. She votes, and if she’s a business owner, she is treated as one. She actively contributes to climate solutions and a sustainable world. She supports her community, invests in her family, and helps boost the economy for all of us.
There's no economic growth without her.
Women’s World Banking President & CEO Mary Ellen Iskenderian reflects on how far the organization has come—from a small group of visionaries with a big idea to a global force helping millions of women access financial tools and services.
Women’s economic empowerment begins with financial inclusion.
Financial inclusion is more than owning an account or getting a loan. It ensures every woman has the knowledge, skills, and trust in the financial system, accessing responsibly delivered, thoughtfully designed digital financial products and the appropriate technology to access them.
Financial inclusion includes:
- Secure and affordable payments, money transfers, and savings
- Credit for business growth and major purchases
- Insurance and pensions for financial protection
- Financial and digital education
Access, knowledge, trust, and choice lead to economic empowerment.
How We Do This
Women’s World Banking takes a unique approach to financial inclusion working to ensure systemic change. We do not stop at providing services, we work across the financial ecosystem to transform how women access and use financial tools. Our approach delivers lasting impact by:
Advising policymakers and financial services providers: We engage and support regulators in implementing gender-inclusive financial policies, ensuring women’s financial inclusion is prioritized at the highest levels. We also help financial services providers understand the business case for serving women, design women-centered solutions, and scale them effectively.
Building and sharing evidence: Through rigorous research, diagnostics, and industry engagement, we develop and disseminate insights that drive effective financial solutions and policies.
Investing in change: Women’s World Banking Asset Management invests in financial services providers to expand their capacity to serve women sustainably.
87 Million Women and Counting
To date, we have reached more than 87 million women in emerging markets through our programs, helping to change not only their lives but the lives of their households, communities, and businesses.
What do we mean by reached?
Women’s World Banking uses the term “reached” to describe any woman who benefits from our programs to enhance financial inclusion, defined as giving women the choice to access and capability to use financial services. This includes:
- Women who have access to new or enhanced products or services, delivered directly in partnership with financial services providers.
- Women projected to benefit from products, services, or policies that deepen their financial inclusion, through investment and influence with financial service providers and policymakers.
Gender Lens Investing
Women’s World Banking Asset Management (WAM) invests in growing businesses with innovative solutions that enable women to achieve economic empowerment and resilience. Our goal is to create enterprise value and deliver competitive financial returns by investing in businesses that unlock the potential of women as customers, leaders, and employees.
