For decades, conversations about money and investing have often sidelined women, but the tide is turning. Across continents, innovative programs are making that vision real. And as we explore these 10 inspiring initiatives, it becomes clear that financial empowerment is no longer a distant aspiration—it’s happening now, and it’s changing lives.
She Counts (Global)
By partnering with banks and fintechs, She Counts offers gender-sensitive digital financial services worldwide. The program helps women build savings and gain financial independence through targeted solutions. This approach shows a simple reality: when financial tools are made with women’s needs in mind, economic empowerment happens naturally.
EDISON Alliance Digital Inclusion Projects (Global)
Imagine a smartphone that could change the way money is handled. That’s exactly what the EDISON Alliance Digital Inclusion Projects aim for. Reaching women in underserved areas, the program combines mobile learning with government and private partnerships. The result? Women previously excluded from banking gain a pathway to real independence.
Global Banking Alliance For Women (Global)
Banks are listening differently thanks to the Global Banking Alliance for Women. By equipping institutions with targeted tools and insights, it encourages services that reflect women’s real needs. Through workshops and online platforms, GBA reaches entrepreneurs in more than 135 countries and supports their growth.
Smart Start Program (Ethiopia)
Ethiopia’s Smart Start Program equips adolescent girls with financial planning skills with the help of life-stage-based education connected to reproductive health. Delivered by peer educators and community health workers, the initiative strengthens money management while encouraging healthier life choices. And the impact is tangible: improved savings habits and a delay in early marriage among participants.
Women’s Digital Financial Inclusion Advocacy Hub (Global)
The UN’s Women’s Digital Financial Inclusion Advocacy Hub helps women access financial services with mobile apps and text messages. Working with local organizations, they create content that fits different cultures and communities. This approach allows women in areas with limited literacy or smartphone access to learn essential money management skills.
FINCA International’s Financial Literacy Toolkit (Latin America And Africa)
Women micro-entrepreneurs gain budgeting, saving, and lending knowledge with the help of FINCA International’s Financial Literacy Toolkit and its interactive learning methods. Village banks and mobile technology deliver the program and assist in building credit histories. This connection to formal financial systems generates lasting economic opportunities across Latin America and Africa.
Grameen Foundation’s Community Agent Network (Uganda)
Where banks and internet access are scarce, trained female agents bring economic education and mobile banking via individual coaching and group workshops. These efforts equip rural women to manage money more effectively, and Grameen Foundation’s Community Agent Network has helped over 500,000 women achieve measurable improvements in financial habits.
IFAC’s Global Financial Literacy Advocacy (Global)
Many women still lack access to financial knowledge and decision-making roles. Working with national accounting bodies, the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) delivers literacy programs, advocates for women’s inclusion, and partners with OECD’s International Network on Financial Education (INFE). As a result, IFAC enables a more inclusive world for women everywhere.
National Financial Literacy Strategy For Women (India)
In India, rural women and self-help groups develop practical money skills through the National Financial Literacy Strategy for Women. The program is led by the Reserve Bank of India and the Securities and Exchange Board of India. It uses regional-language media and mobile outreach to reduce gender disparities in financial access and prepare women to make informed money decisions.
SHE Investments (Cambodia)
SHE Investments helps Cambodian women entrepreneurs gain confidence in handling money and making decisions that shape their businesses. Using Khmer-language lessons tailored to local culture, participants discover how daily financial choices affect growth and learn strategies to turn small ventures into thriving enterprises over time.
