Three out of every five women reported having access to a mobile money account
comparedto a little over one in every fivewomen having access to eithermicrofinance
or bank account. This revealed that a mobile money account is the most preferred
form of financial inclusion among women in Burundi. Contrary to existing literature,
microfinance account ownership which has been heralded as a panacea to poverty
reduction among women was unpopular among Burundian women. Improved
financial inclusion significantly enhances the accumulation of household assets
by women which goes a long way to improve their welfare. Specifically, mobile
money account ownership exerted a greater impact on the welfare of women than
bank account ownership, while ownership of microfinance account had no effect
on women’s welfare. Additionally, the effect of improved financial inclusion on the
welfare of women was more pronounced in urban areas compared to rural areas. This
reveals a locational disparity in effect among women in Burundi.