Explore the latest global and regional insights from Women’s World Banking’s work in policy, leadership, women’s entrepreneurship, gender lens investing, and more.
It is a common sentiment amongst financial institutions that goes something like: “We’d love to serve low-income women, but it’s just too costly.” This assumption that catering to women customers inherently undermines profitability has lingered for years. But is it really true? We explored this in our research and found that nearly two-thirds of financial
Scroll down to download the report. At the intersection of financial inclusion and product design lies an often overlooked yet vital question: What about women? Despite the growing recognition of the importance of women in economic development, financial products are too often designed without the unique needs and experiences of
By Ker Thao, Maria Serenade, and Elwyn Panggabean Globally, the emerging youth population presents a potential for economic growth. However, youth in developing countries also still face barriers to access financial services, such as three of 10 million Cambodian young adults who remain financially underserved. Youth savings, in particular, has
Product Design in Women’s Financial Services As Women’s World Banking President and CEO Mary Ellen Iskenderian aptly notes, The global average hides the starker reality of the situation women face. In some countries, it will take over 100 years to achieve gender equality in financial access without further intervention. The
Behavioral design is an important new tool in helping the financial services industry see women (and low-income women in particular) as a viable market segment.
Using our women-centered design approach, we worked with ideas42 to figure out how to get more women to sign up for JazzCash mobile accounts through referrals.
Scroll down or click here to download the draft handbook. A practical roadmap for policymakers, regulators, and financial institutions Women’s financial inclusion has expanded significantly over the past decade, but structural barriers still prevent millions of women from fully participating in the financial system. Closing these gaps requires more than
Innnovation is transforming financial services—but inclusion doesn’t happen by default. As AI, blockchain, and digital platforms reshape how financial products are built and delivered, the critical question is whether these advances expand opportunity—or reinforce existing gaps. Despite rapid technological progress, 1.3 billion people—700 million women and 600 million men—are still excluded from the formal
Download the checklist here or scroll down to the end of the blog. Around the world, financial systems are evolving, but too often, policies are still gender-neutral instead of gender-intentional. This checklist gives regulators a clear framework to assess existing policies, identify gaps and take action to ensure women have
Scroll down to the end of the blog to download the report. This updated edition of Finance, Climate, and Gender arrives at a pivotal moment, highlighted by fresh data that reinforces a critical reality: the crises brought about by natural disasters and financial exclusion are deeply interconnected. The 2025 Global
