Product Development For Girls – Girls’ Savings And Financial Education

September 30, 2009

Author: Ben Shell of Women’s World Banking, Making Cents International, September 2009

This case study published by Making Cents International was featured as part of their Youth Inclusive Financial Service Case Study Series and details how Women’s World Banking has helped one of its network members, XacBank (Mongolia) design and roll-out savings products and financial education programs for girls ages 14 to 17. Through extensive market research, XacBank learned the savings and banking needs, desires, aspirations, constraints, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of girls, which were central to the design of products, financial education programs and marketing strategies. The project team at Women’s World Banking determined that the bank needed to form partnerships at different levels in order to reach girls: with experienced youth education organizations to design and manage delivery of financial education and with schools and youth-serving community-based organizations in order to reach girls cost-effectively. Through a closely monitored pilot, the project team developed and refined models for integrated delivery of financial education and marketing to schoolgirls and young adult working girls.