EPISODE · Jun 8, 2022 · 49 MIN
Erlijn Sie: Reimagining financial inclusion
from Scouting for Growth · host Sabine VdL
In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VdL interviews Erlijn Sie, a seasoned social entrepreneur, leader, and social business advisor. Erlijn wrote a book on Reimagining Financial Inclusion, a must-read for all corporate business leaders concerned with the future of our planet. In the book, Erlijn discusses the 5 levers that shape our financial system. Erlijn also talks about ESG, focusing on social innovation and how social innovators support companies in achieving their impact. KEY TAKEAWAYS Maybe over the last few decades, we've become a bit too focused on the monetary side of ESG, and some companies have forgotten their core relevance to society. We’re now all trying to find our way back to the societal value we originally set out to build our organizations on. What makes social innovation (a person, a solution, a product) different from big corporations' purpose is that smaller companies do it in a radically different way, taking an issue they care about, feel passionate about, and want to solve radically. There’s nothing wrong with taking a good business model to support social innovation, but I do feel it should follow a solution and what fits that solution best. You don’t start your business by monetizing social innovation. You start with the issue, analyze its root causes, and consider how others can contribute to solving it. Big, powerful corporations still underestimate the potential change they could bring, especially financial resilience for those who need it most. Our former financial system was built in the last century, when we didn’t have the digital technology we have now. With such technologies and the speed of their development, we can financially include many more disadvantaged individuals and people who are excluded. If big corporations (not just banks and insurers) start to see the power of newer technologies, imagine how powerful they could be in the space financially, including so many more people, we can then start to really transform the system. We are currently dealing with a former financial system that basically serves half of the world’s population. That’s fundamentally wrong, we all know that financial services like being able to save your money in a safe place, getting a loan, insurance, and pensions, all these financial services allow you to live your life to your full potential. If you exclude more than half the world’s population from that system, that’s a waste of talent! We need to reform the financial system so that we include the other half. We can only do that if all companies work with us to tackle those flaws. Most of the flaws built into our former financial system stem from the technologies of the last century not allowing businesses to incorporate them affordably. Nowadays, we can include so many of them if we truly want to. BEST MOMENTS ‘I became a social entrepreneur by accident because I felt I needed more meaning in my day-to-day life, that’s why I founded a micro-finance institution providing very small loans to the most excluded people in the world.’ ‘ESG stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. I’m mainly focused on the ‘S’, I feel that the ‘Social’ angle goes first.’ ‘Most systemic issues are too big for one of us to solve; the solution needs to be co-created among like-minded experts or people you feel can contribute to solving the issue best.’ ‘Entrepreneurial qualities are much more needed nowadays than they were last century. This has a lot to do with how fast change happens these days. The most important skill for all of us to learn is how to cope with change, how to be resilient, how to be able to constantly adapt to change.’ ABOUT THE GUEST Erlijn is a seasoned social entrepreneur, leader, and social business advisor to both the social and business/corporate sectors. Her background is rooted in business management, and her focus is on social innovation and financial inclusion. She has supported a range of systems that have enabled social entrepreneurs, as well as impacted the corporate sector, to develop new strategies, approaches, and models to drive inclusion in society. Erlijn brings a combination of deep insights, hands-on experience, and the latest trends in social innovations, blended business models, hybrid value chains, and new ways of organizing. She is dedicated to catalyzing impact, in general and specifically in financial inclusion, by connecting innovative and inclusive solutions with the challenges corporations face. ABOUT THE HOST Sabine VanderLinden is a corporate strategist turned entrepreneur and the CEO of Alchemy Crew Ventures. She leads venture-client labs that help Fortune 500 companies adopt and scale cutting-edge technologies from global tech ventures. A builder of accelerators, investor, and co-editor of the bestseller The INSURTECH Book, Sabine is known for asking the uncomfortable questions—about AI governance, risk, and trust. On Scouting for Growth, she decodes how real growth happens—where capital, collaboration, and courage meet. If this episode sparked your thinking, follow Sabine VanderLinden on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram for more insights. And if you’re interested in sponsoring the podcast, reach out to the team at [email protected]
What this episode covers
We have built a financial system that serves only half the world — and we call that progress. In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden speaks with social entrepreneur and author Erlijn Sie about why financial inclusion is not a niche topic — but a systemic failure hiding in plain sight. Erlijn argues that ESG has become overly financialized. Metrics, rankings, and capital flows dominate the conversation, while companies quietly lose sight of their original societal purpose. The “S” in ESG — the social dimension — must come first. Because financial services are not optional. Access to savings, credit, insurance, and pensions enables people to live to their full potential. Yet billions remain excluded. That exclusion is not just unjust — it is economically irrational. It represents wasted talent, stalled entrepreneurship, and suppressed resilience. The irony? Much of this exclusion stems from systems designed in the last century — when digital infrastructure did not exist. Today, technology enables inclusion at scale and at lower cost than ever before. The barrier is no longer capability. It is intent. Erlijn shares how she “accidentally” became a social entrepreneur, founding a microfinance institution to serve some of the world’s most excluded communities. Her journey underscores a key insight: social innovation begins with solving a real issue — not with monetizing it. There is nothing wrong with sustainable business models. But purpose must precede profit logic. For large corporations, the opportunity is enormous. Financial resilience for underserved populations is not philanthropy. It is long-term market development. Corporates still underestimate their ability to drive systemic change, particularly when partnering with social innovators who understand root causes and community dynamics. Yet no single actor can solve these challenges alone. Systemic reform requires co-creation across sectors — financial institutions, corporates, governments, innovators. This episode challenges leaders to rethink: How ESG is prioritized internally Whether inclusion is embedded in strategy or delegated to CSR How digital transformation can accelerate access What entrepreneurial qualities are required in a world of constant change Because resilience, adaptability, and inclusion are not soft concepts. They are the foundations of sustainable growth. And the real question is this: If we now have the technology to include the other half of the world — what excuse do we have not to?
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Erlijn Sie: Reimagining financial inclusion
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