2026 Leadership Development Program for Regulators

What it is:

This multi-week, blended learning program equips senior officials and high-potential women leaders from central banks and other regulatory agencies in emerging markets with the skills to create an enabling environment for women’s financial inclusion and advance gender diverse leaders within their institutions. 

What happens:

Each senior official selects a high-potential leader from their institution to join them on the program. Each institutional pair will work together to identify, design and implement a policy to advance women’s financial inclusion. The senior official will also receive guidance on how to invest in the High Potential leader’s professional growth through career mentorship and sponsorship. Senior officials will receive four executive coaching sessions. 

Why it is unique:

This is the only program for officials at the intersection of leadership development, women’s financial inclusion and policy design.​ With a unique dual-track design, senior officials gain the tools to sponsor emerging women leaders, modelling an approach for building a pipeline of gender diverse talent within their institutions.

An action learning methodology:

• A series of interactive live online sessions 
• Individual and group assignments 
• Peer consultations
• Expert advisory opportunities 
• Inclusive in-person sessions at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, England
• 4 executive coaching sessions for senior officials

What participants gain:

Though classroom sessions, facilitated peer learning and 1:1 advising with expertise from Women’s World Banking, Alliance for Financial Inclusion and Oxford Saïd Business School’s world-class faculty participants will gain:

• ​Sustainable Economic Growth: learn about how to build sustainable economic growth through inclusive policy design. ​
• Leadership Skills: Core skills such as stakeholder management, negotiation, persuasion and scenario mapping. ​​
• Financial Inclusion Knowledge: Understanding of global challenges and best practices in gender-inclusive policy design

*A gender-inclusive policy could be a new or updated legislation or regulation, an initiative, a program, a strategy, or a policy note.

Fee per institution/pair: USD 8,000

The program fee includes (for two participants per institution); tuition and course materials, executive coaching (senior officials), and engagement in all peer activities, expert advisory and accommodation and most meals when in-person at Oxford, England. Participants must cover all travel to Oxford, England, and incidental expenses, such as flights, ground transportation, visas, insurance, additional meals, etc. 

Limited scholarships are available but only offered to participants whose institutions are unable to cover their tuition cost. Email us for more information after submitting your application.

Senior Official

• Senior officials from a range of government institutions, agencies, regulators, and ministries in emerging markets
• Part of executive/senior management team or leads a division

High-Potential Leader

• Mid-level professional, 5-10 years of experience
• Exhibits skills and capability to be promoted to the next level of leadership or broaden their role significantly
• Has demonstrated the ability to lead people in the organization
• Motivated to take on new leadership challenges and opportunities
• People managers preferred but not required

Both Participants

• A commitment to:
  • Advancing an inclusive policy 
  • Cultivating and fostering an active sponsorship relationship
  • Actively participating in online and peer learning sessions
  • Exhibiting proficiency in written and spoken English
  • Travel to Oxford, UK, 12-17 July 2026

What is expected of me?

You will join, on average, one to two live virtual sessions per week (in addition to the week in person), dedicate 2-3 hours per month for pre and post session work, and peer group coaching sessions. Over the course of the program, please also allow time for the below:​

• Optional Coaching sessions (senior officials): 4 sessions of 1 hour each (4 hours)​
• Advisory and peer-to-peer consultations: approximately 4 hours in total​
• Capstone presentations: 2 hours​

In addition, all participants are expected to travel to Oxford, UK for the in-person session the second week of July 2026.

Do men also participate in this program?

Absolutely. This course is open to everyone and includes the active participation of senior leaders, of any gender, who are committed to promoting gender-inclusive policy environments and workplaces.

When is the program?

The program will run from May 2026, to September 2026. It is a blended learning program consisting of online instructor led sessions, some individual work and an in-person week at Oxford Saïd Business School.

What is sponsorship and how is that different from mentoring?

Mentors provide feedback, access to information and help mentees understand what are often referred to as the “unwritten rules for success”. Sponsors do all of that and actively advocate for the person they are sponsoring (called the “protégé”). This can include facilitating introductions to high-level contacts, stretch assignments that can help advance the protégé’s career, or actively advocating for opportunities for the protégé in their institution.

What is the policy?

We offer you the opportunity to bring a real gender-inclusive policy you are working on into the program. You will work on your policy throughout the duration of the program, with support from experts at Women’s World Banking and Oxford. Policy initiatives can be a new policy that is being implemented or existing policy that is being enhanced and may fit into one or more of the following categories:

• Legislation or Regulation
• Initiative/Program
• Strategy
• Guidelines or Policy Note

A good fit for a policy to bring to the program would have the following characteristics:

• Promotes financial inclusion while maintaining a balance with financial sector stability and consumer protection
• Promotes outreach of financial services in a competitive and secure marketplace
• Improves the environment for financial inclusion
• Reduces the financial vulnerabilities of families at the base of the pyramid
• Creates an enabling legal and regulatory environment for women

For example, a gender-inclusive policy may focus on:

• Expanding access to and usage of digital finance (transaction accounts, digitized payments, etc.)
• Gender-disaggregated data collection
• Development and implementation of a financial consumer protection framework
• Raising financial awareness and capability (Consumer, SME, etc.)
• Promoting women’s access to and usage of appropriate insurance products

What is the capstone?

The capstone presentation is a report back to peers and faculty on steps taken towards moving the identified women-centered financial inclusion policy initiative forward. Participants will have a period of one to two (2) months following the in-person workshop at Oxford to prepare their capstone presentation and written submission. The capstone provides an opportunity to showcase any tangible steps taken and receive feedback from peers and experts.

What does the program fee cover?

The program fee includes (for two participants per institution); tuition and course materials, accommodation and most meals in Oxford, executive coaching (senior regulators), and engagement in all peer activities and expert advisory. Participants must cover all travel to Oxford, England and incidental expenses, such as flights, ground transportation, visas, insurance, additional meals, etc.

The invitation to participants to present their capstone and graduate in-person at the Alliance for Financial Inclusions’ Global Policy Forum is optional. Should a participant choose to attend, they must cover all travel and incidental expenses, accommodation and most meals.

Are scholarships available?

Full scholarships are available. Only completed applications will be considered. Please email us for more information after submitting your application.

Will I receive a certificate?

Upon successful completion of the program, each participating leader will receive a certificate of completion from Women’s World Banking, Alliance for Financial Inclusion and Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.

Is there an Alumni program?

Yes, participants completing the in-person Oxford portion of the course will gain Oxford Saïd Business School Alumni status. ​

All participants who complete their online capstone policy presentation will gain WWB LDR Alumni status.

What types of institutions have participated in the past?

For over 20 years, Women’s World Banking has trained more than 1,000 leaders of regulatory bodies and financial service providers from around the globe. Over 80 percent of women leaders have increased their scope of responsibility after joining a leadership program from Women’s World Banking.

326 regulators/policymakers from 78 institutions in 47 countries have participated, including central banks, financial regulatory authorities, ministries of finance, reserve banks, and national insurance commissions, including:

• Central Bank of Egypt
• Central Bank of the Philippines
• National Bank of Rwanda
• Central Bank of Nigeria
• Bangladesh Bank
• Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
• Bank Indonesia
• Financial Services Authority, Indonesia
• National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV) Mexico
• Banco de México
• National Insurance Commission Ghana
• Reserve Bank of India
• Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India
• National Bank of Cambodia
• Insurance Regulator of Cambodia
• NGX Regulation Limited 
• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development