ConsumerCentriX attends Nigeria's 2024 International Financial Inclusion Conference.
ConsumerCentriX participated in Nigeria’s 2024 International Financial Inclusion Conference (#IFIC2024), organized by the Central Bank of Nigeria, which took place on November 12-13 at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos. This year’s conference theme, “Inclusive Growth: Harnessing Financial Inclusion for Economic Development,” brought together over 2,000 participants from 78 countries, including global thought leaders, industry practitioners, and influential stakeholders
The conference agenda featured dynamic plenaries, roundtables, and exhibitions showcasing innovations that advance financial access and address critical topics such as gender-inclusive finance, MSME financing, and digital financial solutions.
As a key contributor to the event, Anna Gincherman, Partner at ConsumerCentriX, spoke in the session “Powering Nigeria’s Inclusive Growth through MSMEs.” Drawing on ConsumerCentriX’s global expertise, Anna highlighted the importance of leveraging data to build effective financial solutions for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), focusing on women-led businesses.
Beyond Anna’s session, ConsumerCentriX celebrated significant milestones during the week:
- Launching the Women’s Financial Inclusion Dashboard: Together with the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System PLC (NIBSS), ConsumerCentriX unveiled the Women’s Financial Inclusion Dashboard. This innovative data portal offers granular, up-to-date information on access and usage of financial services in Nigeria. Work is now underway to expand the portal with sex-disaggregated SME data, expected by the end of November. Visit the dashboard at www.wfid.ng.
- Onboarding Signatories to the WE Finance Code: Following the launch of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Code (WE Finance Code), ConsumerCentriX, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria and the World Bank, co-led a workshop to onboard more than 30 signatories of the WE Finance Code, including 12 leading banks. This initiative emphasized the responsibilities and benefits of joining the Code, including capacity-building opportunities and peer learning programs presented by the Financial Alliance for Women.
- Collaborative Dialogues: ConsumerCentriX contributed to rich discussions during #IFIC2024, sharing insights on leveraging data to create impactful SME solutions. The event provided an opportunity to reconnect with colleagues and industry pioneers who continue to drive digital financial inclusion and innovation in Nigeria.
ConsumerCentriX is committed to fostering inclusive growth and supporting initiatives empowering MSMEs and underserved segments including, WMSMEs globally.
ConsumerCentriX Participates in and Co-organizes Two-Day Workshop on WE Finance Code in Georgia
ConsumerCentriX (CCX) had the privilege of co-organizing a two-day workshop in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the National Bank of Georgia (NBG). The workshop focused on advancing financial inclusion for women-led enterprises in Georgia, an important step towards improving access to finance for Women-Owned Small and Medium Enterprises (WSMEs).
Day 1: Leveraging Data for Advancing Finance to Women Entrepreneurs
The first day began with a comprehensive analysis of Georgia’s WSME Finance Landscape. High-level representatives from the private sector and key ecosystem stakeholders attended the session, which opened with welcoming remarks by Ms. Natia Turnava, Acting Governor of NBG, and Mr. Alkis Vryenios Drakinos, Regional Head of Caucasus at EBRD.
Anna Gincherman from CCX set the stage by providing an insightful overview of international developments in gender-disaggregated data. She highlighted the business case for collecting and analyzing this data, revealing that while women-owned enterprises constitute around 32% of all SMEs in Georgia, they account for only 7.5% of formal credit access. This gap underscores the importance of developing targeted financial solutions for women entrepreneurs.
David Taylor of CCX followed by introducing the WSME Dashboard (https://www.wefinancegeorgia.ge/), an analytical and data visualization tool designed to provide insights into the financial landscape for WSMEs. The Dashboard sparked lively discussions among participants, who explored its potential applications for their own institutions.
Later in the day, Ms. Aurica Balmus, Principal of Gender and Economic Inclusion at EBRD, gave an in-depth presentation on the WE Finance Code and its potential impact on Georgia’s financial sector, particularly in improving access to finance for women-led businesses.
The session concluded with a presentation by Mr. David Utiashvili, Head of the Financial Stability Department at NBG. Mr. Utiashvili shared the regulator’s vision for the future of the WSME Dashboard, calling for collaboration between financial service providers (FSPs) and other stakeholders to enhance its capabilities. His remarks emphasized the need for collective efforts to ensure that the Dashboard becomes a valuable tool for increasing financial inclusion for WSMEs in Georgia.
Day 2: WE Finance Code – Data-Driven Strategies for Financing Women-Led Enterprises
The second day took a more interactive approach, with participants from financial institutions, including data, product, and ESG managers, as well as representatives from the Georgian Bankers Association. The discussion centered on their experiences working with the WSME segment and sex-disaggregated data.
Istvan Szepesy and Anna Gincherman from CCX led the morning session, focusing on strategies for capturing and managing gender data. They encouraged participants to critically assess their current data collection and analysis methods and offered practical recommendations for improvement.
David Taylor returned to share emerging insights from the WSME Dashboard, illustrating how the tool can inform data-driven decisions for financial service providers. Participants actively engaged in discussions on how the Dashboard can be further integrated into their day-to-day operations.
The workshop concluded with a presentation by Ms. Dana Kupova, Head of Inclusive Finance at EBRD, who outlined how EBRD could support banks in Georgia as they work to better serve women-led enterprises. Her remarks highlighted the growing opportunities for financial institutions to create tailored products and services that address the unique needs of WSMEs.
Looking Ahead
The two-day workshop demonstrated the power of collaboration between public and private sector stakeholders in advancing financial inclusion for women-led businesses. It also underscored the importance of data-driven strategies in fostering sustainable growth and access to finance for WSMEs.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all participants for their active involvement and to the National Bank of Georgia, especially Salome Tvalodze and David Utiashvili, for their ongoing support and collaboration in developing the WSME Dashboard and organizing this impactful event.
As part of the ongoing implementation of the WE Finance Code in Georgia, CCX, EBRD, and NBG remain committed to working together to enhance financial access for women-led MSMEs and support their continued growth and success.
Press Release: Workshop on WE Finance Code
ConsumerCentriX attends the 2024 Financial Alliance for Women Annual Summit
ConsumerCentriX attends the 2024 Financial Alliance for Women Annual Summit.
The ConsumerCentriX (CCX) team had an exciting two days at the 2024 Financial Alliance for Women Annual Summit, participating in sessions and engaging in conversations with a diverse group of industry leaders. The Summit focused on advancing women through the entrepreneurial funnel, a critical issue in today’s economic landscape.
One of the key themes of the Summit was the vital role of sex-disaggregated data in driving actionable insights. Our senior advisor, David Taylor, had the opportunity to present our work on the Women’s Financial Inclusion Dashboards in Bangladesh and Nigeria. During the National Gender Data Dashboards panel, David highlighted the significance of data for regulators, stating, “Regulators need to recognise the power that data can present. The insights you present back to the market can be as powerful as the policies you set.”
Following the Summit, the WFID Partnership Community of Champions held its third in-person convening. The WFID Partnership Community of Champions, a collaborative initiative facilitated by the Financial Alliance for Women (FAW) and ConsumerCentriX, brings together financial policy stakeholders from around the world. For the past three years, this community has been instrumental in sharing experiences and best practices aimed at increasing the collection and use of supply-side data to promote women’s financial inclusion (WFI). The recent convening showcased the latest innovations in applying gender data to inform policy-making and drive actions towards closing the financial inclusion gender gap.
David Taylor facilitated a session on National Gender Data Dashboards featuring distinguished speakers such as Sophia Abu from the Central Bank of Nigeria, Shahana Ferdousi from Bangladesh Bank, and Paula Ximena Franco from Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia. They discussed key learnings from our work on developing Women’s Financial Inclusion Data Dashboards in Bangladesh and Nigeria. Anna Gincherman, a partner at CCX, moderated a dynamic discussion among policymakers from Colombia, Peru, Honduras, Chile, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The conversation focused on how to best apply supply-side data to shape women’s financial inclusion priorities, highlighting the collaborative efforts needed to drive meaningful change.
About the Summit
The Financial Alliance for Women’s Annual Summit is the premier event focused on the power of the female economy. Each year, the Alliance convenes financial, technology and real sector players to share business solutions for women’s financial empowerment.
