Women in Finance-Can gender bonds and innovative mobile products unlock a $2.5 trillion opportunity?
Speakers
– Nathalie KOUASSI AKON / Director, Gender and Economic Inclusion, IFC
– Ilham LAHLOU / General Insurance Executive – Personal Lines, SanlamAllianz
– Gwendoline ABUNAW / Managing Director, Ecobank Cameroon
– Hadiza AMBURSA / Executive Director, Commerical Banking, Access Bank
Expert
– Zineb SQALLI / Managing Director & Partner, BCG
Moderator
– Anjani TRIVEDI / Global Business Correspodent, The Economist
Gender bonds and mobile apps offering advanced capital to women hold new hope to empower female entrepreneurs, who could add $2.5 trillion to Africa’s GDP by 2025. But the continent has the lowest gender bond issuance globally, and the digital tools designed for women-led MSMEs still face challenges of digital literacy, internet connectivity, and access to financial services. In 2022, South Africa’s Rand Merchant Bank was the first to issue a US$58mn gender-linked bond on the continent. But the financing tool is viewed as complex due to the lack of a ‘go to’ reference on the processes and precedent on investor returns. How can financial institutions better design innovative financing tools such as gender bonds and digitalisation of collateral to help bridge Africa’s gender finance gap?
Key Points:
– Better inclusivity: What challenges do financial institutions face when offering digital or mobile products designed for women?
– Better design: How can gender bonds entice investor return?
– Lessons learned: How do successfully issued gender bonds and digital products for women in other countries apply to Africa?