Ep. 3: The Role of Mobile Network Operators in Women’s Digital Financial Inclusion

We know usage of mobile internet is not keeping pace with connectivity. Host Sonja Kelly (Global Vice President, Research & Advocacy, Women's World Banking) and guest Aniqa Sandhu (CEO, Digital Financial Services, Digicel Group) spotlight the role of mobile network companies in driving women’s usage of mobile internet, and consider how effective digital financial capability building can help drive usage for women.   According to the GSMA, although mobile operators’ investments in network infrastructure have helped to shrink the ‘coverage gap’ from 1.4 billion people in 2015 to 400 million people in 2022, there are still 3.2 billion people around the world covered by networks who are not using nor reaping the benefits of this connectivity. Women are disproportionately affected by this issue, with the gap around usage of the mobile internet increasing in 2022 to 16%, translating to 264 million fewer women than men using mobile internet.