Promoting Financial Inclusion
for Women at the Last Mile
a2i’s Multi-pronged Approach
- Women-led last mile agent network- SATHI
- Women’s financial inclusion advocacy forum (WFIAF)
- Raise awareness and develop capacity
- Support pro-poor product innovation
- Produce high-quality evidence and knowledge for decision-making
a2i acknowledges the three essential steps toward
achieving Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE):
ensuring access to financial services, protecting women’s
resources through formal financial services, and
empowering women to make independent decisions
through resource control.
Women’s Economic Empowerment
Decision making power
Control over resources
Access to financial services
Women-led Last Mile Agent Network- SATHI
a2i established the Sathi network, a dedicated
women-led agent network spanning across the country,
to ensure convenient access to financial services for
marginalized women at the last mile.
Women agents in rural areas foster a sense of trust and
comfort among female customers, enabling them to
engage more confidently in financial transactions. The
gender-specific intervention promotes financial inclusion
and empowering un/underbanked women in a safe and
supportive environment.
The SATHI Network engages in a range of activities to empower women at the grassroots level
- Facilitating access to Banking and Mobile Financial Services
- Promoting digital and financial literacy among rural women
- Raising awareness on basic concepts of financial services
- Enhancing women's capacity in utilizing digital platforms
- Create linkage with e-Commerce platforms to broaden opportunities
Raise Awareness and Develop Capacity
a2i focuses on raising awareness and
building capacity in the following areas
Conduct financial and digital literacy campaigns to empower women with essential knowledge and skills
Enhance the capacity of female agents to effectively deliver financial services to rural communities
Encourage the adoption of financial services among rural women through yard meetings and community engagement initiatives
Support Pro-poor Product Innovation
a2i plays a facilitative role in supporting fintech startups
and financial service providers in funding, mentoring,
regulatory issues, and technical assistance, specifically to
address women-specific needs throughout the product
development process. a2i aims to foster an enabling
environment for fintech and financial service providers to
develop gender-responsive solutions and contribute to
women’s financial inclusion.
Produce High-quality Evidence and Knowledge for Decision-making
a2i strives to generate reliable and robust evidence,
providing valuable insights for informed decision-making
for policymakers. By focusing on producing high-quality
knowledge and engaging in discussion, a2i empowers
stakeholders with data-driven information to drive
effective policies and strategies.
Aims and Target Audience
a2i and Bangladesh Bank (Central Bank of Bangladesh)
jointly convened a policy advocacy forum to promote
sustainable Financial Inclusion for Women called
Women’s Financial Inclusion Advocacy Forum (WFIAF).
The collaborative platform formulated with regulators,
academics, researchers, practitioners, and financial
service providers (FSP).
Objectives
Accelerate women’s economic
empowerment through nancial inclusion by
catalyzing knowledge generation, fostering best
practices and sector collaboration.
The intervention areas of Forum (WFIAF) include
Advocating for women's
financial inclusion as a critical
development priority
Establishing linkages, partnerships, & knowledge sharing with other network groups, international agencies, & regional associations
Providing recommendations to FSPs and fintech companies to incorporate a gender lens in their financial products
Aims and Target Audience:
Within the framework of the Sathi Network, women-led financial service delivery points have been introduced in Bangladesh. These points act as crucial hubs offering a wide range of financial services to women at the last mile.
This initiative aims to:
- Ensure access to Banking and Mobile Financial Services for marginal women
- Enhance the capacity of women agents in Digital Financial Services
- Promote Digital and Financial Literacy among marginalized women
- Promote Women's entrepreneurship by developing women-led financial service delivery points.
The primary target audience of the initiative includes marginalized women residing in remote and underserved areas of Bangladesh. These women often face barriers in accessing formal financial services due to geographical, cultural, social and economic constraints. The initiative aims to empower these women by providing them convenient access to financial services, enhancing their digital and financial literacy, and promoting economic empowerment.
The Sathi Network engage in a range of activities to empower women at the grassroots level:
Establishment of Women-Led Financial Service Delivery Points:
The initiative involves setting up physical service points in remote areas, staffed by dedicated women agents. These points serve as accessible hubs where women can perform various financial services for instance, bank account opening, savings, loans, payment, mobile money transfers etc.
Capacity building programme for Women Agents
To enhance the capacity of women agents, the initiative conducts training programs that cover digital financial services, customer service, communication skills, and problem-solving. These workshops equip agents with the skills required to serve their communities effectively.
Gallery :
Financial literacy programme
The initiative organizes different literacy programme such as workshops, awareness campaigns, yard meetings, account opening & service campaigns etc. to improve the digital and financial literacy of marginalized women. These programmes teach marginalized women about the benefits of digital transactions, the safe use of mobile financial services, and basic financial concepts.
Publications
Videos
14 August, 2023
