Finance for Her: Engendering Financial Services and DFS in Rwanda
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Date
2025
Authors
Munyegera, Ggombe Kasim
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AERC
Abstract
Rwanda has achieved remarkable progress in financial inclusion and the development of digital financial services. Women are, however, disproportionately less included in formal financial services. While the overall gender gap in financial inclusion narrowed from four percentage points in 2016 to one percentage point in 2020, women have lower access to formal financial services, including ownership of bank and mobile money accounts. The DFS inclusion rate increased from 46% of the adult population in 2016 to 66% in 2020. However, there is a clear gender gap, with women having a lower DFS inclusion rate (62%) relative to their male counterparts (71%). Evidence-based measures to close the gender gaps in financial inclusion and DFS require research to understand their underlying drivers from the demand and supply sides of the financial sector.