On Our Radar: March 2024

World Food Programme (WFP) is providing technical support to governments across the Caribbean to create more inclusive, efficient and responsive social safety nets through digital payments whilst prioritizing the diverse needs of the population, especially those of women. In this learning brief, WFP shares concrete lessons learnt when accelerating digital financial inclusion and women’s economic empowerment through cash transfers programmes from across the Caribbean.

New research from the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, in partnership with Intuit, highlights the key experiences, challenges and opportunities from 1,156 women entrepreneurs from South and Central America, Africa, Asia and Europe, with particular focus on digital, AI, networks, online gender-based violence, gender discrimination and accessing finance. 

The Dominican Republic has paved the way for driving change in women’s financial inclusion. This case study offers an overview of the current state of women’s financial inclusion in the Dominican Republic. It takes stock of the government’s progress in advancing women’s financial inclusion. It delves into the specifics of the national financial regulatory environment, highlighting the key strategies and initiatives that have contributed to closing the Dominican Republic’s gender gap in access to finance. It also provides details on the factors influencing women’s financial inclusion, outside of the regulator’s remit.

Financial institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean have taken important steps to close gender financial gaps and have dramatically advanced in data collection to better understand how they can help women entrepreneurs grow their businesses. This first-of-a-kind study, commissioned by IDB Invest, draws on information provided by more than 240 institutions ( commercial banks, fintechs, microfinance institutions, cooperatives, and first-tier development banks) in 13 countries, offering a comprehensive look at the state of the women’s market across the entire financial ecosystem. It explores the extent to which women’s financial needs are being met, uncovers evidence of the business case for serving women, and identifies revenue opportunities for financial institutions that expand their women’s market propositions.

Women’s World Banking (WWB) deploys research to understand the outcomes experienced by women who receive financial solutions designed with them in mind. In this insights note, WWB explain why a gender lens to any framework for financial well-being is essential. They share an insightful case study from their collaboration with WING in Cambodia, were they developed a solution for women factory workers that incentivizes them to use mobile wallets for more purposes than just receiving their salary. The solution was built on gender-sensitive marketing, incentives and in-person training to build awareness and confidence among customers. 

The Better Than Cash Alliance is a UN-based global partnership committed to accelerating the transition from cash to responsible digital payments to advance the SDGs. The Alliance prioritizes women's financial inclusion, enabling them to meet their needs in digital payments, entrepreneurship, and policymaking. In this video we learn more about the importance of empowering women financially through tailored products and responsible digital payments from their initiatives in Colombia, Guatemala, Pakistan and Ethiopia.