PRESS RELEASE | Women’s World Banking hosts Making Finance Work for Women Summit in Dar es Salaam

October 24, 2017

Tanzanian Vice President H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan joins biennial gathering of global leaders to advance financial inclusion for women

For Immediate Release:
October 24, 2017

Contact: Maura Hart, +1 212 556 3156 or meh@womensworldbanking.org

DAR ES SALAAM—Global NGO Women’s World Banking brings its biennial international gathering, the Making Finance Work for Women Summit, to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on 24-25 October 2017. The Vice President of Tanzania, H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, will deliver a keynote address at the two-day program, featuring leading international experts driving the innovations in women’s financial inclusion.

“More than one billion women around the world do not have access to formal financial services. We are honored that Vice President Samia Hassan Suluhu joins us to welcome global leaders who are harnessing the latest technologies and innovative approaches to reaching these women,” said Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President and CEO of Women’s World Banking.

Women’s World Banking welcomes 300 executives from the financial services, consumer products and technology industries as well as investors, philanthropists and government representatives from more than 30 countries. Participants will examine the best practices in researching, designing and delivering solutions to low-income women around the world.

“The remarkable range of participants joining us—from behavioral scientists to FinTech disruptors—is a testament to the growing realization that women are the most dynamic market segment in the world,” said Iskenderian. “Low-income women represent a tremendous market opportunity, and delivering financial services to women is an undeniable imperative for economic growth in the emerging markets.”

The Making Finance Work for Women Summit agenda includes interactive sessions on digital financial services, human-centered design, consumer segmentation, inclusive policy and regulation, gender lens impact investing, and diversity and inclusion in corporate leadership. Speakers will include leading global practitioners, such as Ineke Bussemaker, CEO of NMB Bank Plc (NMB), which serves as local co-host of the Summit.

“With only 17 percent of Tanzanian women accessing financial products, financial inclusion is an urgent issue in Tanzania. We’re thrilled to host the Summit here along with our partner NMB, an institution that is committed to transforming the banking culture for women and girls across Tanzania,” said Iskenderian. NMB and Women’s World Banking are currently working together to better understand the banking needs of women and youth throughout Tanzania and to design financial products that meet those needs.

The Making Finance Work for Women Summit is presented by Women’s World Banking with support from Leading Sponsors Financial Sector Deepening Africa (FSD Africa), a program of the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), Standard Chartered Bank and Visa. The event is made possible with additional support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Citi Inclusive Finance, Diamond Bank, ExxonMobil Foundation, the International Finance Corporation, MasterCard and White & Case.

For more information, follow @womensworldbnkg at #MFWW2017.