Alliance members championed gender equity in substantive and inspiring ways throughout the month of March, embodying the 2024 International Women’s Day theme, Invest in Women.
NatWest in the UK partnered with small business mentor platform Digital Boost, and female entrepreneur champions Buy Women Built, to launch ‘Begin’, a free, six-week course for aspiring female founders which provides a step-by-step guide on how to turn an idea into an actionable business plan.
Banco Davivienda in Colombia highlighted the strong take-up among women entrepreneurs of its business tools and resources provided through its Py+ digital platform, noting that 66 percent of the 200,000+ visits to the platform were made by women. In addition, more than 11,000 women completed Davivienda’s free online courses aimed at helping customers achieve financial goals such as home ownership and education.
Westpac in Australia launched a partnership with UNSW Founders’ 10X Accelerator Program, providing scholarships to support women to join the program. This builds on its $500 million commitment to bank women-led businesses announced last year. Since announcing the commitment, the bank has injected $63 million of capital to support female entrepreneurs, helping more than 350 women start or grow their business.
Banco Solidario in Ecuador launched ‘Mujer Solidaria’, an online portal which brings together all initiatives within its women-centered customer value proposition, including video profiles of women customers to increase their visibility and key metrics achieved in Women’s Markets.
Bank al Etihad in Jordan rolled out an internal campaign to recognize and empower women employees and emphasize the bank’s commitment to fostering gender equity. The campaign included a message from the bank’s Chairman to all staff and a networking event exclusively for female employees hosted by CEO Nadia Al Saeed.
BRAC Bank in Bangladesh engaged with customers of its women-centered TARA program by hosting events at 24 of its bank branches, as well as a two-day ‘Inspire her Wellness’ program in Dhaka where TARA card holders discussed financial wellness and attended free yoga sessions. Personal greetings were also sent to 3,300 TARA customers and gift baskets delivered to those making significant impact in their communities.
BAC in Central America launched a mentoring program for female entrepreneurs and announced a new partnership with CARE Honduras to provide financial education and digital literacy trainings for women in rural areas.
Equitas Bank in India launched a video story featuring an inspirational female entrepreneur in Gujarat, as part of its ‘Circle of Life’ series. Equitas staff members also personally contacted 300 female customers. To support their financial independence, additional life insurance was written for 40 women customers, and additional investments for 105 women mutual fund customers.
Shecluded in Nigeria hosted 70 women entrepreneurs at its Shecluded Hub to celebrate International Women’s Day. The day kicked off with complimentary professional headshots, followed by an engaging networking session where entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds connected to build business and personal relationships.
Bank of Africa in Morocco drove internal awareness of its women-centered strategy by displaying posters across its offices with the message ‘Equality Means Business’. The posters also highlighted their status as the first Moroccan bank to join the UN’s Women’s Empowerment Principles initiative.
CONAFIPS in Ecuador achieved a milestone by receiving the certification of ‘Safe Institution Free of Violence Against Women’ granted by the Ministry of Labor. This recognition not only validates CONAFIPS’s commitment to the safety and well-being of women in their workplace, but also underscores efforts to support women’s full financial inclusion.
Nedbank in South Africa launched a campaign to combat gender-based violence, publishing an article in the local news titled “Acknowledging and addressing financial abuse is key to enabling investment in women.” The piece, authored by Buli Ndlovu, Executive Head: Nedbank Retail & Business Banking Marketing, powerfully stated: “No amount of education, healthcare, or employment opportunities will accelerate progress if women remain trapped by abusive partners restricting their financial independence.”
