Identifying pathways to digital financial inclusion for women-led micro and small enterprises in Kenya

• Jul 30, 2025
• 1 min

Women-led micro and small enterprises (wMSEs) in Kenya’s open-air and cross-border markets face constant barriers in accessing and using digital financial services (DFS). These include limited access to tailored financial products, inadequate digital infrastructure, and restrictive gendered social norms.

To address these challenges, MSC implemented an action research program to identify practical pathways to increase DFS adoption among wMSEs. The project sought to uncover how digital financial solutions could meaningfully improve women entrepreneurs’ economic and financial lives in these informal trade environments.

In collaboration with financial service providers, MSC built and tested use cases that highlighted the potential of digital solutions such as savings, credit, payments, and insurance, for wMSEs. We pilot tested and refined products to generate practical insights for scale-up. As a result, one partner is now pursuing regulatory approval to launch DFS products tailored to this segment, while another has successfully rolled out cross-border payment services based on MSC’s findings.

This project supports the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Financial Services for the Poor (FSP) vision of improving women’s access to and usage of DFS by 2030. The insights help FSP refine its investment strategy and shape future interventions that expand financial inclusion for women entrepreneurs.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation commissioned this project.