Indonesia hosts one of the world’s largest agent network ecosystems, with both bank-led and non-bank providers playing a critical role in expanding access to digital financial services. It is estimated that the country has more than two million agents, with women representing more than 50% of the network. Despite this strong representation, women agents often face structural and operational challenges that limit their ability to realize their full potential, even though they can serve as vital channels for delivering affordable financial services to last-mile communities.
MSC conducted a gender-disaggregated data (GDD) analysis across both a leading bank-led agent network and a prominent non-bank agent network provider in Indonesia. The objective was to better understand the performance of female agents across different operating models and identify gender-specific challenges and opportunities that influence their performance and sustainability.
MSC analyzed gender-disaggregated performance data to compare outcomes between female and male agents across the two networks. The analysis examined key indicators such as transaction volumes, activity levels, and operational sustainability. To complement the quantitative analysis, MSC conducted qualitative interviews with female agents and field officers to better understand the operational realities faced by women agents, including intersecting barriers related to liquidity, mobility, business capacity, social norms, and support systems.
Based on the findings, MSC developed targeted and actionable recommendations to help providers strengthen the performance and sustainability of female agents within their networks. The study generated evidence to support more gender-responsive strategies for agent recruitment, support, and retention, while also laying the groundwork for institutionalizing gender-disaggregated data analysis in agent network management.
The Gates Foundation commissioned the project.
Despite global evidence that female agents drive higher trust, attract more women customers, and often outperform male counterparts on key service indicators, female agents are significantly underrepresented in global agent networks. They actively face structural barriers such as limited access to capital, weak institutional use of gender data, and restrictive social norms, which further constrain their recruitment, retention, and business viability.
This project was designed to address these systemic bottlenecks and accelerate progress toward closing the gender gap in active use of digital financial services.
Through this project, MSC is working to scale proven models that recruit, support, and sustain female CICO agents in Nigeria, Bangladesh, and Indonesia by addressing systemic bottlenecks. The project focuses on three pillars:
- designing and scaling gender-intentional liquidity and working capital solutions for female agents, including credit scoring tools and tailored loan products;
- supporting financial service providers to collect and use gender-disaggregated data (GDD) to improve recruitment, segmentation, performance management, and retention; and
- Integrating social and gender norms into recruitment, onboarding, training, and grievance redressal systems.
The project combines technical assistance, pilot scale-up support, monitoring and evaluation, and ecosystem-level knowledge dissemination for key financial service providers across the three markets.
The project aims to directly impact approximately 350,000 female agents by improving access to capital, increasing revenues, strengthening retention, and reducing dormancy. In turn, it is expected to benefit at least 1 million low-income women customers by expanding access to trusted, gender-sensitive financial services through strengthened agent networks.
The Gates Foundation commissioned the project.
Public and private sector banks are key players in the delivery of digital financial services (DFS) at the last mile in India. However, persistent challenges, such as agent network viability, service quality, liquidity constraints, and limited digital adoption, undermine the effectiveness of these channels. MSC (MicroSave Consulting) collaborated with leading banks, such as the State Bank of India (SBI), the Indian Bank, the Bank of India (BOI), HDFC Bank, and Yes Bank, to diagnose and improve DFS delivery through strategic agent network interventions.
- For SBI, BOI, and Indian Bank, MSC redesigned the agent lifecycle, from onboarding to grievance resolution, which led to stronger service reliability across 120,000+ agents.
- For Yes Bank, MSC scoped digital payment adoption in the dairy value chain in Odisha, which helps farmers transition to cash-lite systems.
- With HDFC Bank, MSC enhanced its rural initiative by refining products for agri and dairy customers and upgrading training and communication for agents.
Collectively, these interventions advanced scalable, inclusive banking across rural India.
MSC partnered with BRAC Bank, Bangladesh’s leading bank, to design and implement a scalable agency banking model. The model would allow BRAC Bank to expand financial access in underserved and remote areas. As a leading SME-focused bank, BRAC Bank sought to strengthen alternative channels and reach new customer segments through a robust agent network.
MSC supported the project from start to finish. We conducted readiness assessments, market and regulatory analyses, and customer or agent profiling to inform a comprehensive strategy that covered product design, commission structures, and digital channels. Then, we ran a pilot program to test and refine the model before its national rollout.
The project produced transformative results. BRAC Bank scaled its agent network by 12 times, achieved a 162 times increase in account openings, and saw transactions grow 81 times in volume and 148 times in value. By November 2021, its agent outlets had processed quarterly transactions worth USD 1.74 billion, which positioned BRAC Bank as a leader in Bangladesh’s agency banking sector.
BRAC Bank commissioned the project.
India’s low-income, migrant, and unbanked populations have historically struggled with limited access to safe, affordable, and convenient financial services. Traditional banking channels often excluded these groups due to documentation-related barriers, limited reach, and high transaction costs. Against this backdrop, business correspondents and mobile-enabled solutions emerged as a crucial bridge to bring millions of underserved people into the formal financial system.
Eko India Financial Services, a business correspondent for the State Bank of India and ICICI Bank, took a leading role to solve this exclusion problem. It extended mobile banking and remittance services to vulnerable populations. Over time, the company processed more than 3.1 million transactions worth USD 410 million for 1 million-plus unique customers. A network of 1,600 Eko agents processed these transactions initially across Delhi, Bihar, and Jharkhand, and later in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Eko partnered with MSC in an engagement spanning eight years to sustain this growth and improve the delivery of services.
MSC conducted multiple rounds of customer- and agent-focused research to guide product development and operational strategies. We evaluated the usability and impact of mobile banking products, tested and refined pricing structures, assessed customer service quality, analyzed competition, and reviewed the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. We also advised on product launch strategies and agent support systems to ensure accessibility, trust, and customer satisfaction.
The sustained collaboration generated evidence-based insights that simplified processes, improved customer experiences, and strengthened agent operations. These contributions supported Eko’s continued expansion into new markets and advanced financial inclusion for underserved communities.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation commissioned the project.
