Digital Financial Services (DFSP)

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Mobile Money a Catalyst for Women Empowerment in Rural Rwanda
(AERC, 2025) Botha, Rosemary; Kamninga, Tony; Tuyisenge, Methode
It is widely known that financial inclusion is key in achieving development at macro and micro level. Rwanda has over the years made great strides in financial inclusion with 93% of the adult population being financially included. Mobile money is the biggest driver of financial inclusion in Rwanda with the uptake among women being relatively lower (84%) compared to men (90%). The fifth Sustainable Development Goal identifies the achievement of gender equality and women empowerment as one important pillar in the achievement of sustainable development. With the high coverage of digital financial inclusion through mobile money and its current structure in the country, it is unknown whether agency is improved for women with access to mobile money. Digital technology has gained prominence to support women empowerment by changing the way business is done and creating better employment opportunities. The current operation of mobile money provides a reliable platform for transactions, but more reforms could be done to provide even better benefits to its clients. This brief discusses results investigating the effect of mobile money access on women empowerment in Rwanda.