## Women in Fintech: As Leaders and Users

_IMF Working Papers, July 15, 2022_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Women in Fintech: As Leaders and Users](https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2022/07/15/women-in-fintech-as-leaders-and-users-520862)

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## Bibliographic details
- Authors: Purva Khera, Sumiko Ogawa, Ratna Sahay, Mahima Vasishth
- Published: July 15, 2022
- Series: IMF Working Papers
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400215384.001

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### Executive summary
- Digital financial services have made access to finance easier, faster, and less costly, helping to broaden digital financial inclusion, but their impact on gender gaps varies across countries.
- Women leaders in the fintech industry, although growing, remain scarce.
- The paper examines: (i) the role of women leaders on firm-level performance in the fintech industry; and (ii) the determinants of gender gaps in the usage of digital services to better understand cross-country differences.
- Key empirical results:
  - Greater gender diversity in the executive board is associated with better performance of fintech firms.
  - Higher financial and digital literacy of women is associated with lower gender gaps in digital financial inclusion.
  - Socio-cultural factors also play a key role in explaining gender gaps in the usage of digital financial services.

### Findings on women leaders and firm performance
- Presence and growth:
  - Women leaders in fintech are increasing but remain scarce (statement from the paper).
- Firm-level association:
  - Greater gender diversity in the executive board is associated with better performance of fintech firms (finding reported in the paper).

### Determinants of gender gaps in digital financial service usage
- Literacy:
  - Higher financial literacy of women is associated with lower gender gaps in digital financial inclusion.
  - Higher digital literacy of women is associated with lower gender gaps in digital financial inclusion.
- Socio-cultural factors:
  - Socio-cultural factors play a key role in cross-country differences in gender gaps in the usage of digital financial services.

### Research scope and publication metadata (excerpted)
- IMF Working Papers.
- Pages: 30
- Volume: 2022
- Issue: 140
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400215384.001
- ISBN: 9798400215384
- ISSN: 1018-5941

*Source: Women in Fintech: As Leaders and Users; Purva Khera, Sumiko Ogawa, Ratna Sahay, Mahima Vasishth; July 15, 2022.*

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- **Working Paper**
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_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2022/07/15/women-in-fintech-as-leaders-and-users-520862_