Season Two of The Gender Agenda podcast continues with a conversation on one of the most fundamental building blocks of women’s empowerment: financial inclusion.
Hosted by Kelly Latimer, the episode features Halima Iqbal, Founder and CEO of Oraan, and Veronica Colondam, Founder and CEO of YCAB Foundation. Together, they explore the barriers women continue to face in accessing financial services, the role of informal economies, and why true financial inclusion must go beyond access to capital to build confidence, autonomy and long-term economic resilience.
Financial Inclusion as a Foundation for Empowerment
Across Asia, women continue to encounter barriers when opening bank accounts, accessing credit or being recognised as financial decision-makers. For Halima Iqbal, this issue became deeply personal when she returned to Pakistan after a decade in North America and found herself unable to open a bank account independently.
Despite having her own financial resources, she was repeatedly advised to rely on her father or husband instead. This experience led her to examine the broader financial landscape in Pakistan, where only 7% of women had bank accounts in 2018.
Yet, as Iqbal discovered, women were already playing vital roles in informal financial systems. Through community savings groups, women were acting as trusted treasurers and informal bankers, managing capital outside the formal financial sector. Oraan was created to digitise these systems and provide women with greater access to capital, savings tools and financial recognition.
Women as Financial Decision-Makers
A key theme of the episode is the misconception that women are less capable financial managers. Both speakers challenge this assumption, highlighting that women across Asia already manage household budgets, education costs, savings and community financial systems, often with limited formal support.
Iqbal notes that many women are highly capable money managers, yet may lack the confidence to make larger financial decisions because finance has traditionally been positioned as a male domain. For Oraan, financial inclusion is therefore not only about providing products, but also about creating safe spaces where women can talk openly about money, build confidence and see themselves as legitimate financial decision-makers.
Linking Finance, Education and Intergenerational Change
Veronica Colondam brings a complementary perspective from her work in Indonesia through YCAB Foundation. Founded 26 years ago to address school dropout rates, YCAB quickly recognised that access to education could not be separated from household financial stability.
Through an education-linked microfinance model, YCAB supports mothers with small loans while helping ensure their children remain in school. For Colondam, mothers are not simply beneficiaries of support; they are agents of development within their families and communities.
The impact of this model extends beyond immediate financial assistance. As mothers gain greater economic stability, children are more likely to stay in education, families become more resilient, and communities benefit from women’s increased participation in local economic life.
Building Confidence, Resilience and Autonomy
Throughout the episode, both speakers return to the idea that financial empowerment is about much more than money. Savings can create resilience. Financial knowledge can build confidence. Access to capital can give women greater autonomy over their choices, families and futures.
Iqbal also highlights the needs of middle-income women, who are often overlooked by both formal financial institutions and government support. Not wealthy enough to be prioritised by banks, yet not poor enough to qualify for assistance, these women often fall through the gaps despite being aspirational, economically active and ready to drive change.
From Beneficiaries to Agents of Change
Episode Three reinforces the importance of viewing women as agents rather than beneficiaries. Whether through digital financial tools, microfinance, community savings or education-linked support, both Oraan and YCAB Foundation demonstrate how women can become powerful drivers of economic and social change when given the right tools, trust and opportunities.
The conversation also looks ahead to the future of women-led financial innovation in Asia. While barriers remain, particularly around access to capital and representation in financial decision-making, both speakers express optimism that the next generation will be judged less by gender and more by what they bring to the table.
Towards Financial Autonomy
Ultimately, it is clear that financial inclusion is not simply about opening a bank account or receiving a loan. It is about enabling women to make decisions, build resilience and participate fully in economic life.
As the conversation shows, when women are financially empowered, the impact extends far beyond the individual, strengthening families, communities and future generations.
Listen to Episode Three of The Gender Agenda Season 2 to hear the full conversation on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
