Alliance members continue to deepen their value to women customers and be recognized for their leadership in gender-inclusive banking.
Launching new programs and products to support women and women-owned businesses:
LXME, a mass market women focused wealth tech, has launched India’s first Unified Payments Interface (UPI) designed exclusively for women. The ‘LXME Pay’ platform aims to turn everyday digital transactions into opportunities for saving, investing, and building long-term wealth.
Karandaaz Pakistan, in partnership with Karakoram Cooperative Bank Limited (KCBL) and the National Credit Guarantee Company Limited (NCGCL), has launched Samarkar, a pioneering de-risking facility for women-led MSMEs in Gilgit-Baltistan. Derived from Samar (fruit) and Kar (enterprise), Samarkar symbolizes the “fruit of enterprise” for women long excluded from formal finance. Gilgit-Baltistan, a remote mountainous region, remains one of Pakistan’s most underserved markets, with limited financial access for women entrepreneurs. Through credit risk cover via NCGCL, KCBL will extend affordable loans in Gilgit-Baltistan, introducing an innovation in financing underserved segments with strong potential for replication.
First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has partnered with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to roll out the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women course to train entrepreneurs. This builds on FCMB’s existing SheVentures program, which has a comprehensive value proposition that includes zero-interest loans, training and mentoring. SheVentures has served thousands of women-led SMEs over the past five years.
Ecobank has expanded its ‘Ellevate’ women-centered program, rolling out Ellevate 2.0 across its Pan-African footprint. The expanded proposition, designed to strengthen Ecobank’s commitment to women-owned, women-led, and women-focused businesses, includes a range of financial products (unsecured loans of up to US$50,000, competitive interest rates and favorable collateral requirements) and non-financial services (access to new markets across Africa through the online matchmaking ‘MyTradeHub’ platform, business skills training and customized wealth management services), as well as a one-stop shop to meet insurance needs, and a loyalty program providing exclusive offers and discounts at select retail stores and recreation centers.
Earning recognition for focus on Women’s Markets:
Enat Bank was recognized as ‘the first and the only Transformational Bank’ at the 2025 Ethiopia Finance Forum, held in July 2025 in Addis Ababa. The event was hosted by the National Bank of Ethiopia and celebrated the launch of Ethiopia’s first Women’s Financial Inclusion Scorecard, which assesses financial institutions’ excellence with respect to the services they provide to their customers and employees, as well as their financial innovations.
Enat Bank was also named the winner of the Excellence in Women Empowerment Award at the 23rd Connected Banking Summit hosted by the International Center for Strategic Alliances (ICSA). The award recognized Enat Bank’s pioneering role in advancing women’s access to finance and its leadership in gender-inclusive banking.
Providing critical support for women’s business success and holistic health:
BRAC Bank recently organized two three-day training programs under its women entrepreneur’s initiative, ‘Amrai TARA.’ The program, supported by the Gates Foundation, brought together 60 promising women entrepreneurs for intensive capacity-building sessions focused on business management, digital skills, financial literacy, and market access. To date, BRAC Bank has trained over 3,000 women entrepreneurs in 20 districts under the ‘Amrai TARA’ banner, with plans to expand its reach to every district of Bangladesh.
Access Bank launched the seventh season of its flagship ‘Womenpreneur Pitch-A-Ton’. The initiative, first rolled out in Nigeria in 2019, combines access to finance with business training and certification and has since rolled out across Access Bank’s African footprint. The program provides participants with tailored coaching, grants, and a mini-MBA certification developed in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Since its inception, the Pitch-A-Ton has trained nearly 900 women and disbursed more than $175,000 in seed funding. Alongside the financial awards, Access Bank continues to monitor participants for at least six months after completion to ensure business sustainability.
The City Bank in Bangladesh recently specially designed a limited edition “Breast Cancer Awareness Cheque Book” for customers of its women-focused City Alo offerings, as part of its breast cancer awareness campaign. The cover of the cheque book features key preliminary steps and essential information for self-check procedures for early detection. Additionally, customers requesting the cheque book will be encouraged to commit to taking the necessary steps for regular check-ups and to share this important information within their social circles, extending awareness beyond themselves. In addition, City Alo launched a self-check website for customers where customers can learn how to check for breast cancer.
Members are welcome to share their program innovations and updates by emailing: info@financialallianceforwomen.org
