FINCA International

FINCA researchers Anahit Tevosyan, Nathaniel Mayende, and Scott Graham, along with Joeri Smits, highlight key findings on the complexity of measuring women's economic empowerment in a recent article published by BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University. Their study found that Ugandan households frequently change in size and structure due to various economic and cultural factors, and because of this, focusing on husbands’ roles in women’s agency and decision-making is far too narrow and misrepresents the complex realities women live in. 💡It is crucial to capture not only ‘who’ permits or restricts women’s financial autonomy, but ‘who else’ influences women’s #EconomicEmpowerment, including siblings, parents, friends, and neighbors. Read more: https://bit.ly/3C1gP9v #WEE #EndPoverty

✨ How FINCA International Scaled Financial Inclusion and Impact Through Tech Board Leadership ✨ Imagine if your nonprofit could amplify its mission with tech innovation, streamline operations, and unlock new ways to serve your community—all with the support of a dedicated tech board leader. FINCA International did just that. With Amazon Web Services (AWS)’s expertise and guidance from tech board member Avanthi Shah, FINCA transformed its approach to financial inclusion. From building a unified data lake for real-time insights to deploying AI tools that empower their teams, FINCA has redefined what’s possible for their mission. Join us for a free webinar on November 12th hosted by Alethea Hannemann, cofounder and CEO of Board.Dev, featuring Scott Graham, VP of Research & Data Science at FINCA. Scott will share how tech governance helped FINCA: - Recruit and integrate tech leadership at the board level - Enhance data accessibility and scale impact with AI - Engage staff and board in measurable, mission-aligned innovation Register now and learn how to harness tech leadership to scale your organization’s impact: https://lnkd.in/ehDJnvZ2 #NonprofitInnovation #TechForGood #BoardLeadership #FinancialInclusion #FINCA #BoardDev #TechGovernance

Last Friday, FINCA Global CEO Andree Simon took the stage for a fireside chat with Gina Chon at the SEMAFOR Economy Summit in Washington, D.C. Andrée shares that although the inclusive finance sector has made enormous progress with regards to providing people access to financial services, we still have a long way to go for people to USE financial services, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. She argues that we need to set our sights on financial inclusion for 3 reasons: 1. There is a moral imperative to support people in improving their livelihoods. 2.There is a financial imperative to bring people into the formal economy who are currently left out due to a lack of resources. 3. There are increasing pressures stemming from climate shocks and political instability which have huge implications on migration. We must focus our efforts on empowering people to use financial tools to improve their livelihoods and strengthen their resilience. View the recording: https://bit.ly/48nPQkF

Last week, the FINCA team visited Amazon Web Services (AWS) HQ and hosted an interactive workshop to discuss the results of their proof-of-concept for AuRA–an AI-based platform developed by the FINCA Research Team in collaboration with AWS. Led by VP of Research & Data Science Scott Graham, the half-day workshop included attendance from FINCA leadership and board members, external implementation partners, along with our AWS counterparts including Teddy Schall, Haley Gottshall, MBA, and Han Tran.

At NetHope Global Summit, FINCA Global CEO Andree Simon joined the stage with Akhand Tiwari of MicroSave Consulting (MSC) for a fireside chat discussing what #financialinclusion practitioners must consider when designing and launching digital tools to ensure solutions are approachable, effective, and sustainable. Andrée emphasized the importance of designing solutions for the customer and making sure that any digital solutions are rolled out in a “tech touch” approach so that both clients and staff can properly use and adopt the technology.

Happening tomorrow! FINCA Global CEO Andree Simon will join MicroSave Consulting (MSC) in their NetHope Global Summit session to discuss how to help empower consumers in a digital era and how to best build trust and capacity in #digitalfinancialservices. During this session, Andrée will discuss customer pain points within digital interfaces, successes and challenges when utilizing technology to serve clients, and the importance of designing solutions with empathy to foster customer engagement and protect users in the digital landscape. #DigitalEmpowerment #InclusiveTech #DigitalLiteracy

Eliminating gender inequality in employment and entrepreneurship could raise long-term GDP per capita by an average of nearly 20% across countries. That’s why FINCA Global CEO Andree Simon advocates that investing time, energy, and resources into closing the #gendergap is not just the right thing to do, it’s an economic imperative.    Heading into the The World Bank’s 2024 Annual Meetings, it's easy to lock in on the hot-button issues of the day and forget about the important unfinished business of past sessions — none more urgent and impactful than efforts to create a just economy that includes the full #financialinclusion of women.   Read more: https://bit.ly/4hbkzoP

In an interview-style conversation, this #FIW24 live session discusses the role of #subsidy across three dimensions: the cost of funds, the use of #technology, and targeting of specific client groups. What actors need to work together and what are the biggest challenges in lowering the cost of funds? How can subsidy help #financialinclusion efforts reach specific populations, and what's the benefit of doing so? The full #FinclusionWeek live session recording is available to watch here: https://lnkd.in/eCaRdC54 Greta Bull, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Andree Simon, FINCA International

Heading into the 2024 #WorldBankMeetings, FINCA Global CEO Andree Simon highlights the urgent need for continued focus on ensuring funding flows to women and urges leaders not to lose sight of the critical work that remains to be done on women’s #financialinclusion. Andrée shares why FINCA places #womensempowerment at the center of all that we do, and why organizations, governments, and individuals must collaborate to create an ecosystem that provides tools for financial independence and addresses the underlying social and educational barriers that women face. Read the article: https://bit.ly/4hbkzoP

"Technology is not the silver bullet. But, we do have to acknowledge that digitization and automation is going to be crucial." - Andree Simon of FINCA International during #FinclusionWeek. Register now to view all of the content for #FIW24: https://lnkd.in/e7wexZgE