Financial Inclusion Benefits

Indian women have done everything the financial system asked. Opened accounts. Saved diligently. Built credit histories. But. We receive credit equivalent to just 25%+ of the deposits we put into the banking system. Men receive 50%+ of that, double what we get. We are, in effect, subsidising credit for men. The credit system was built to read a specific kind of financial life - formal salary, titled property, guarantors from the right networks. Women’s income is often informal, seasonal and home-based. Our assets are rarely in our names. So, the traditional system writes us off rather than underwrite us. Consider this - Women constitute 20% of India’s MSMEs and hold just 7% of MSME credit. However, we have better data today than we had decades ago. Digital payments history, Aadhaar-linked identities, GST trails and much more. If you are building a lending product, whether you’re a bank or a fintech, the question is whether you’re reading the additional signals, in fact the signals that can make or break women’s credit. 45 crore of us are credit-eligible and waiting. Is the ecosystem ready for us? Source: NITI Aayog-TransUnion CIBIL-MicroSave Consulting 2025, Microsave 2020 #CreditAccess #WomenEntrepeneurs #FinancialInclusion #IndiaFintech

In 2021, I became the first woman to head a unicorn in Israel, AKA Startup Nation. In many parts of the world, women are excluded from even the most basic financial services, so leading a fintech company is far from their reality. United Nations data estimates that 3.8 billion women live in the world, 50% of which are adults. According to the World Bank’s Global Findex Database, 1.4 billion of those 1.9 billion adult women, are unbanked. That’s 73.65%. Visit that statistic again. It represents a disturbing gender gap in financial access, with women being far less likely than men to have bank accounts or access formal financial services. This financial exclusion has personal impact. It diminishes women’s economic empowerment by restricting access to education and limiting their potential for personal growth and independence. It makes women more financially dependent, and therefore, more vulnerable. There's economic impact, too. Research by McKinsey highlights the economic loss due to financial exclusion of women, noting that closing the gender gap in labor force participation could add trillions to global GDP. Financial inclusion isn’t just a matter of equality – ensuring the same opportunities for all. It’s a matter of equity - ensuring women have the tools and access they need to fully participate in the global economy. That’s where technology enters the picture to level the field. The rise of mobile banking is a great example of innovation enhancing financial inclusion. According to a report by the International Finance Corporation, mobile money accounts are more popular among women in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, where access to traditional banking is limited. Various fintechs provide financial literacy resources, helping women understand financial products, budgeting, and saving strategies. Other solutions include AI-driven platforms that offer personalized recommendations and advice, empowering women to make informed financial decisions. Aside from personal apps and solutions, fintechs can facilitate community-based lending and saving initiatives, allowing women to support each other through group savings or microfinance schemes, fostering a sense of solidarity and shared purpose. This International Women’s Day’s theme is "accelerate action". In my mind, nothing accelerates action like innovation. As we mark International Women's Day, let’s advocate and innovate to enhance financial inclusion for women worldwide. #IWD2025 #financialInclusion Papaya Global

Here's how UPI turned 200 million Indian women into entrepreneurs when banks couldn't!  Before UPI, most women running small businesses worked in cash, with no bank trail, no credit access, and no real way to grow beyond their local circle. Fast forward to 2025, with 536 million women aged 15+ in India and 37% already using mobile internet, the potential market for internet-based UPI solutions is approximately 200 million women. In a country where 65% of women in the workforce are self-employed, digital financial inclusion creates tangible economic empowerment. But UPI is doing more than digitizing payments: ➡️ It builds financial history and business credibility ➡️ Unlocks access to loans, insurance & government schemes ➡️ Helps women manage and grow money independently We're already seeing this in action: — Women dairy farmers in Maharashtra now use UPI to sell directly to cooperatives. — Street vendors in Gujarat track daily income through digital payments. — Self-help groups in Bihar pool savings and access microloans through mobile wallets. Because for many women, the journey to digital confidence starts when someone they trust. These are some schemes that are helping women adopt UPI… 📍 UPI for Her – Tailored digital tools by NPCI & Women’s World Banking for women-led micro-businesses 📍UPSRLM (Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission) – Local women agents trained to onboard others with confidence 📍MAVIM(Mahila Arthik Vikas Mahamandal) – Helping rural women switch from cash to UPI and grow their ventures 📍WEP (Women Entrepreneurship Platform) – A national platform connecting women entrepreneurs with digital and financial support Digital payments give women more visibility. This visibility leads to more control over both their business and household money. How has digital banking changed your business?

Fintech for good: Enabling Digital Payments for Women in India 🇮🇳 through UPI When women gain access to #financialservices and opportunities, it creates a powerful #ripple effect that extends far beyond individual economic gains. Access leads to benefits to the individual, the household, the #community and eventually the nation. Benefits include improved household #welfare, increased participation of women in the formal economy, arms women with financial independence which they can use to lift their families out of poverty. There is sufficient evidence that #financial inclusion gives women more decision-making power within households and communities. It leads to better #education and #health outcomes Now, let's delve into the key takeaways from the attached report ‘UPI for Her’ which is a #collaborative initiative by the National Payments Corporation Of India (NPCI) and Women's World Banking that seeks to explore opportunities to increase the participation of women in the digital payments ecosystem – as a driver for financial inclusion and economic #prosperity. This is their first report of the initiative. 🇮🇳 Untapped potential: India has a vast untapped market of 200 million women ready to embrace #digitalpayments 🇮🇳 Persona-based approach: The report identifies two key personas among women: "Cautious Balancers" and "Fence Sitters," each requiring tailored strategies for #UPI adoption. 🇮🇳 UPI-PPI solution: Prepaid Payment Instruments (#PPIs) serve as a safe entry point for Cautious Balancers, providing a sense of control and security. 🇮🇳 UPI for Merchants: Women micro-entrepreneurs (Fence Sitters) are more likely to adopt UPI when shown tangible benefits for their businesses. 🇮🇳 #Phygital onboarding: In-person assistance combined with #digital tools is highly effective in onboarding women and building their confidence in using digital financial services. 🇮🇳 Community partnerships: Collaborating with local community networks and women's groups is crucial for reaching and engaging women effectively. 🇮🇳 Gender-intentional outreach: Tailoring marketing and outreach efforts specifically to women's needs and concerns is essential 🇮🇳 Continuous engagement: Providing ongoing support and gradually introducing more complex financial products is key to retaining women users. 🇮🇳 Transparent communication: Clear explanations of fees, features, and benefits are crucial for building trust among women users. 🇮🇳 Inclusive design: Gathering gender disaggregated #data and using it to inform product design and user experience can significantly improve adoption rates. 🇮🇳 Policy implications: The report suggests that #policymakers should require financial service providers to report payment data by gender and integrate this into financial inclusion indices. 🇮🇳 Ecosystem approach: Digitizing the entire value chain, including small traders and wholesalers, can accelerate UPI adoption among women micro-entrepreneurs.

In Pakistan, where only 14% of women are financially included compared to 56% of men, generic digital financial services (DFS) fall short,true impact demands designs tailored to women's realities. The Gender Gap in Financial Inclusion Pakistan's labor force sees just 24.3% female participation, compounded by low digital literacy (women score 48 vs. men's 65) and minimal say in household finances (only 11%). Policies like the State Bank’s Banking on Equality exist, but barriers household restrictions, KYC hurdles, and fraud fears persist, limiting uptake to superficial access. Why Women Need Tailored DFS Women-centered DFS are essential because generic platforms overlook cultural, emotional, and practical barriers that stifle adoption. They must address security fears with simple fraud alerts and peer-trusted interfaces; prioritize family goals like education savings over abstract yields; and offer bite-sized, voice-guided tools in local languages for low-literacy users. Flexible micro-transactions suit irregular incomes from home-based work, while progression paths from basic wallets to investing ladders build lasting confidence and autonomy. Path to Real Adoption and Impact Tailored DFS transforms homes into financial hubs, boosting earnings control and resilience without requiring mobility or tech expertise. By embedding women's wants like community forums and halal-compliant options services achieve stickiness, turning one-time users into empowered decision-makers. This isn't optional; it's the key to equitable growth in Pakistan. #FinancialInclusion #WomenEmpowerment #DigitalFinance #PakistanEconomy Sources Catalyzing Women's Earnings via DFS - Karandaaz Pakistan

Half the world's population faces invisible walls to access financial services. Why do 1.7 billion women remain financially excluded, and what's actually working to tear these barriers down? This paper goes beyond the usual talk of “access.” It unpacks the real constraints: discriminatory laws, lack of digital ID, algorithmic bias, and social norms that penalize women for being financially independent. It also highlights what’s working: → Governments digitizing social transfers into women’s accounts → Financial products designed with women’s lived realities in mind (not just repackaged for pink logos) → Bundling credit with childcare, insurance, or training → Collecting sex-disaggregated data to design smarter policies If you're in development, policy, fintech, or gender advocacy, this is your signal to move beyond micro-loans and think systems change. Because access isn’t empowerment if the system itself keeps women out. 💾 Save this post 🔔 Follow me for similar content #Gender #FinancialInclusion