To pick up the pace of change, we need more pragmatic actions from all stakeholders. This blog post shares key takeaways from two recent events by FinEquity and Women's World Banking.

Women’s entrepreneurship is on the rise globally, though it still lags behind men’s in most countries. The challenge is how to get female businesses out of a survivalist mode and onto a pathway of growth. 

Women entrepreneurs or those taking on a new career path in Turkey often hear this phrase from society, discouraging them from taking on less traditional roles. But now organizations in the country are working to unpack and overcome the insidious effects of gender-based social norms on women’s financial health.

Access to a mobile phone is not enough. The BOMA Project works to overcome illiteracy and innumeracy to bring digital financial services to women living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.

To realize the potential gains of financial inclusion, more intentional efforts are needed to close persistent gender gaps. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has developed three core principles for advancing women’s financial inclusion and economic empowerment.

A new Female-Focused Fintech Prize aims to connect and bring attention to fintech products working for women.

In honor of International Women’s Day, FinDev Gateway features FinEquity (formerly known as the Women’s Financial Inclusion Community of Practice), a special corner of FinDev where practitioners working to increase women’s financial inclusion can share ideas, resources and lessons learned. Uloma Ogba of UNCDF tells us what she values about this community of practice.

A recent FINCA survey of clients in DR Congo shows that women entrepreneurs are confined to the smallest, least profitable businesses. Getting a realistic picture of the obstacles women face helps prepare us for the task ahead of shifting the ground in women’s favor.

As the microfinance sector has matured, client protection principles have been introduced around issues such as interest rates and product transparency, fair pricing and appropriate product design. But where do gender-based risks fit into these principles?

We can’t achieve women’s financial inclusion without considering harmful social norms and trying to change them.