Episode 16

#16 From Brooklyn to Bangladesh—How to Advance Financial Inclusion for Women in Developed and Developing Economies

When we discuss financial inclusion, specifically in regards to women, the conversation often focuses on developing markets and least developed countries. But challenges to financial inclusion exist for women in developed economies as well, including the United States. So, what are the lessons we can take from developed economies that we can apply to the last mile, and vice versa?

In what would be the last episode we recorded before the COVID-19 outbreak, Episode 16 of Capital Musings featured Lauren Silbert, VP and General Manager of the personal finance website, The Balance. Lauren shared her thoughts on the challenges of financial inclusion and financial literacy for women in the U.S. and what lessons we can apply to the LDCs.

About the Podcast

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Capital Musings
Capital Musings is the Podcast show of the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)

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United Nations Capital Development Fund

The UN Capital Development Fund makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 45 least developed countries (LDCs).

UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development.

UNCDF pursues innovative financing solutions through: (1) financial inclusion, which expands the opportunities for individuals, households, and small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in the local economy, while also providing differentiated products for women and men so they can climb out of poverty and manage their financial lives; (2) local development finance, which shows how fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance can drive public and private funding that underpins local economic expansion, women’s economic empowerment, climate adaptation, and sustainable development; and (3) a least developed countries investment platform that deploys a tailored set of financial instruments to a growing pipeline of impactful projects in the “missing middle.’’