Research & Perspectives

Report: Empowering MSMEs: Creating a Better Banking Experience for Women-Led Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Kenya

Women’s World Banking partnered with Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) from 2016 to 2019 to optimize financial and business support services for women-led micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Kenya. An accompanying research effort evaluated the effectiveness of program implementation and the resulting outcomes for KCB’s MSME customers, especially women.

November 25, 2020

Research & Perspectives

Four Guiding Principles for User Research with Low-Income Women in Emerging Markets

By Sophie Theis, Qualitative Research Specialist at Women’s World Banking Qualitative user research (also known as UX or user experience research) is a suite of strategies and methods that are essential in our work to design financial services for low-income women in emerging markets. User research infuses the design process

September 16, 2020

Research & Perspectives

Giving Non-Bank Savers a Reason to Save at a Bank

Women’s World Banking undertook research to determine why women aren’t saving actively in a bank and tested prototypes to change that behavior.

November 12, 2018

Products & Solutions

Closing women’s “emotional distance” from financial services with behavioral design

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.

June 25, 2018

Products & Solutions

It’s as Easy as A-B-C! How A/B Testing Helped Onboard More Women Customers through Mobile Account Referrals

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.

May 28, 2018

Products & Solutions

Designing better digital financial services for women: Lessons in behavioral design

What our digital financial services peer exchange participants learned about defining the problem from behavioral design firm ideas42.

December 11, 2017

Research & Perspectives

Customer Centricity: Best Practices in Serving Low-Income Women (2 of 4)

How does Customer Centricity help financial service providers serve low-income women profitably and sustainably?

October 27, 2017

Products & Solutions

Branding and Marketing: Best Practices in Serving Low-Income Women (3 of 4)

How does Branding and Marketing help financial service providers serve low-income women profitably and sustainably?

October 27, 2017

Products & Solutions

Successful by Design: Why Creating Financial Products with Women in Mind Is a Win-Win

Our Product Development director explains the crucial elements of design to ensure financial product that works for women.

September 18, 2017

Products & Solutions

Do You See What I See? How Subjective Ideas About Gender Can Cause Financial Institutions to Stumble

The success of women-focused products depends on front-line staff resonating with the objective to serve women as much as it does having leaders’ buy-in.

August 14, 2017

Products & Solutions

Busting the Myths on Pakistan’s 50 Million “Unreachable” Women

Financial services providers in Pakistan risk losing out on an untapped market opportunity by continuing to believe myths about serving the women’s market.

July 10, 2017

Products & Solutions

How is Checking Your Balance Just Like Ordering a Burrito? Fast Food Menus Offer Lessons for Financial Institutions

Diamond Bank (Nigeria) added more options to the BETA Savings mobile app but clients weren’t using them. How user experience testing solved this mystery.

May 15, 2017

Products & Solutions

Banking Rwanda’s Women: What She Wants From Her Bank

How can a world leader in gender equality have trouble closing the gender gap in financial inclusion? What we found in Rwanda.

January 9, 2017

WWB News

NextBillion | Don’t Just Color It Pink and Call It Financial Inclusion for Women

A co-authored an op-ed on the implications of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion’s Denarau Action Plan on financial inclusion for women around the world.

December 15, 2016

Products & Solutions

High-tech practices bring better banking to low-income women

Our team applied user experience testing to optimize mobile banking services for low-income women in Nigeria.

November 14, 2016

Research & Perspectives

How to Ask the Right Questions: Three Tips to Improve Your Product Research

Our team trained staff at two partner institutions on our research methodology, building their capacity to gather and use insights to better serve women.

August 8, 2016

Products & Solutions

Do you have the sales training in place to ensure your new financial product reaches women?

Without a thoughtfully designed and well-executed sales training for your staff before roll-out, your innovative new product will go nowhere.

May 9, 2016

Products & Solutions

Assessing services, uncovering impact: Kashf Foundation in 2015

Kashf Foundation’s research team blogs about their findings from an impact assessment report of their services in 2015.

January 27, 2016

Products & Solutions

Evidence-Based Management: Integrating the “voice of customer” with regular business operations

Kashf Foundation guestblogs on their approach to client-centricity: a singular focus on clients’ needs and welfare, powered by research and client feedback.

October 12, 2015

Products & Solutions

Eight Tips for Successfully Marketing to Women

Women’s World Banking network members participating in a virtual learning community compiled key insights on successfully marketing to women to share with the wider financial services industry

March 19, 2015

General

Gender Performance Indicators Manual: How well are we serving women?

The gender performance indicators help financial institutions determine whether they are serving women well, and with what outcomes.

June 19, 2013

Research & Perspectives

Stemming the Tide of Mission Drift: A Case Study of ADOPEM

This paper is a case study of how one institution, ADOPEM (Dominican Republic), fared post-transformation, examining both the benefits and challenges of transforming.

November 15, 2010

Women-Centered Design

Latest Posts

Report: Empowering MSMEs: Creating a Better Banking Experience for Women-Led Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises in Kenya

Four Guiding Principles for User Research with Low-Income Women in Emerging Markets

Giving Non-Bank Savers a Reason to Save at a Bank

Closing women’s “emotional distance” from financial services with behavioral design

It’s as Easy as A-B-C! How A/B Testing Helped Onboard More Women Customers through Mobile Account Referrals

Designing better digital financial services for women: Lessons in behavioral design

Customer Centricity: Best Practices in Serving Low-Income Women (2 of 4)

Branding and Marketing: Best Practices in Serving Low-Income Women (3 of 4)

Successful by Design: Why Creating Financial Products with Women in Mind Is a Win-Win

Do You See What I See? How Subjective Ideas About Gender Can Cause Financial Institutions to Stumble

Busting the Myths on Pakistan’s 50 Million “Unreachable” Women

How is Checking Your Balance Just Like Ordering a Burrito? Fast Food Menus Offer Lessons for Financial Institutions

Banking Rwanda’s Women: What She Wants From Her Bank

NextBillion | Don’t Just Color It Pink and Call It Financial Inclusion for Women

High-tech practices bring better banking to low-income women

How to Ask the Right Questions: Three Tips to Improve Your Product Research

Do you have the sales training in place to ensure your new financial product reaches women?

Assessing services, uncovering impact: Kashf Foundation in 2015

Evidence-Based Management: Integrating the “voice of customer” with regular business operations

Eight Tips for Successfully Marketing to Women

Gender Performance Indicators Manual: How well are we serving women?

Stemming the Tide of Mission Drift: A Case Study of ADOPEM

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Topics

2023 Making Finance Work for Women Global Summit

Latest Blogs & Reports

Call for applications: Civil society organizations in the Women’s Digital Financial Inclusion Indonesia Coalition

How E-Commerce Can Be A Driver For Women’s Economic Empowerment And The Digital Market

Report: Building Digital Finance Solutions for Women E-Commerce Entrepreneurs: A Demand-Side Exploration in Indonesia

Policy Advocacy Across Indonesia: A Promising Beginning for Women Ultra-Micro Entrepreneurs

Unlocking Credit for Women-Led Micro Businesses

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