Skip navigation
There's Nothing Micro about a Billion Women
Book

There's Nothing Micro about a Billion Women

Making Finance Work for Women

MIT Press, 2022
First Edition: 2022 more...


Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Eye Opening
  • Concrete Examples

Recommendation

Nearly one billion women, globally, have no access to the financial system. Failure to include women costs financial institutions billions in potential profit. Mary Ellen Iskenderian, president and CEO of the nonprofit organization Women’s World Banking, explains the causes of this exclusion, how to combat it and why everyone benefits from financial inclusion. Citing examples from India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Rwanda, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Bangladesh and Mexico, Iskenderian details myriad ways to give women access to financial tools and emphasizes that financial institutions can do well by doing good.

Take-Aways

  • Despite decades of effort, almost one billion women remain financially disempowered.
  • Digital and financial literacy training are prerequisites to successful financial inclusion.
  • Digital finance ought to help empower women.

About the Author

Mary Ellen Iskenderian is president and CEO of Women’s World Banking, a global nonprofit devoted to giving more low-income women access to financial tools and resources.