Finance alone rarely unlocks women’s full economic potential. Skills, networks and access to markets matter too. That is why 95 percent of members responding to the Alliance’s 2024 Female Economy Analytics Survey (FEAS) offer non-financial services (NFS) designed for women. Together, they reached nearly 8.4 million women, and about 60 percent of them accessed these services online.
At the Alliance’s October Ask the Expert session, five members shared how they are enhancing their NFS through technology, from cross-border trade portals to WhatsApp networking communities and gamified savings.
Access to markets
ProCredit Bank North Macedonia trains entrepreneurs and connects them through its online business networking platform, ProConnect.
The bank’s Business Academy delivered 3,600 training hours to 90 entrepreneurs in a 2025 pilot supported by EBRD. In 2026, it is being replicated in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria and Serbia.
Meanwhile, ProConnect connects small and medium enterprises across 12 ProCredit countries. Its 4,000+ users, all verified businesses, can showcase their products, explore companies in other markets and build cross-border partnerships.
Ecobank is also helping women trade across borders. Its Single Market Trade Hub, part of the bank’s Ellevate gender finance program, opens up the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA): 54 countries and 1.4 billion people to its Ecobank’s customers. Businesses can find market information, connect with buyers, suppliers and partners, and transact using Ecobank’s trade finance and payment solutions. An AfCFTA knowledge center, trade news and trade intelligence round out the platform.
The Hub now counts more than 18,000 registered companies and over 300 buyer-supplier matches. Shea butter, cashews, cocoa, textiles, processed food and cosmetics are among the most-searched products.
Knowledge and training
City Bank Bangladesh delivers NFS for City Alo, its women’s banking proposition, through three channels. Purely online, women take self-paced courses on topics like Excel and AI through learning platforms such as GoEdu and Learning Bangladesh. Hybrid courses on social media strategy and entrepreneurship, which run with government and university partners, blend online and in-person learning. Meanwhile, the flagship City Alo Certification Program builds digital skills, online safety, career readiness and financial literacy through in-person workshops. The bank is also rolling out an app-based financial literacy module for women who receive remittances.
FCMB Nigeria reaches time-pressed women where they already are. Its SheVentures knowledge offering runs on WhatsApp groups, which every SheVentures program participant joins. Learning comes in three layers: daily bite-sized content and peer support, expert micro-coaching on one practical topic at a time, and a monthly webinar on themes women choose themselves.
The communities double as a customer conversion ladder. An open tier welcomes customers and non-customers alike. Opening an account unlocks customer communities, and a new elite tier serves the highest-value clients. Shifting to daily engagement has lifted active participation from under 10 percent to 60 percent. Women converted through the groups tend to be more loyal and have lower acquisition costs than those acquired through other means. Next, FCMB is building SheVentures 360, a digital community platform that will become the new home for WhatsApp community members.
Wealth building
LXME, a wealth-building platform for women in India, starts from a stark finding. Indian women are strong savers, mostly in gold and fixed deposits, yet they retire with one-fifth the wealth of men (LXME and EY, “Unlocking Her Wealth,” 2026).
With women making up 51 percent of India’s smartphone gamers, LXME borrowed from gaming and fitness challenges to build the Savings Challenge: “my savings plan, my way.” Women choose an amount (from as little as a dollar a month), a duration (30 days to one year) and automatic recurring or ad hoc deposits. Women can then opt to convert savings into investment products, specifically expert-curated mutual fund baskets matched to each individual’s risk appetite.
The model is paying off for both sides. LXME has tripled the rate at which customers convert to investors, and customers now do so in a quarter of the previous time. Users, meanwhile, are investing on average three times more than before.
Key takeaway: Alliance members are using a mix of physical, digital and hybrid formats to bring women through the sales funnel. Building community and sustaining engagement is the name of the game.
Videos of past Ask the Expert sessions are available for members on the Alliance Learning Hub.
Join us for the next Ask the Expert session on Wednesday, November 4, where Latin American members will share their own digital NFS solutions for women. The session will be held in Spanish, with live English interpretation. To register, members can email peerlearning@financialallianceforwomen.org
