According to a press release, Jazz Cash and global nonprofit Women’s World Banking have announced a collaboration to encourage women’s financial inclusion in the country. With funding being received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the partners will work to help encourage low-income women to adopt and use digital financial services, particularly focusing on the Jazz Cash mobile account.
Aniqa Afzal Sandhu, Chief Digital and Financial Services Officer of Jazz stated that by partnering with Women’s World Banking, Jazz Cash aims to increase financial inclusion of marginalised women section of the society. She appreciated Women’s World Banking’s pioneering work on empowering women financially in other markets.
Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President and CEO of Women’s World Banking said that through JazzCash, a woman, who would otherwise not have access, can open a personalised bank without having to spare time out of her busy schedule. Moreover, it empowers women so that they can plan for their future, prepare to encounter a crisis situation or even expand their business.
The project will engage nonprofit behavioural design and research firm ideas42 and will leverage global best practices in reaching women with digital financial services, including Women’s World Banking’s projects in Nigeria and other markets. The results will have a global impact as well, not only building an understanding of how digital financial services work for low-income women in Pakistan but also informing similar initiatives to reach unbanked women regionally and globally.
