March, 2026 | DreamStart Labs

Financial services are often taken for granted in many parts of the world. Opening a bank account, saving money securely, or accessing a loan for a small business are routine financial activities for millions of people.

For a significant portion of the global population, however, these basic financial tools remain out of reach.

According to the World Bank’s Global Findex database, approximately 1.4 billion adults worldwide remain unbanked, meaning they do not have access to a formal financial account. Without access to financial services, individuals face greater difficulty saving securely, managing risks, or investing in economic opportunities.

Financial inclusion refers to the ability of individuals and businesses to access useful and affordable financial products and services. These services include payments, savings, credit, and insurance delivered in a responsible and sustainable way.

Access to these tools plays an important role in economic mobility. When individuals are able to safely store money, borrow responsibly, and invest in their livelihoods, they are better positioned to withstand economic shocks and improve long-term financial stability.

Yet barriers to financial access remain widespread.

In many rural and low-income communities, physical banking infrastructure is limited or entirely absent. A bank branch may be located several hours away, making routine financial transactions costly and time-consuming.

Cost is another major obstacle. Account maintenance fees, minimum balance requirements, and transaction charges can place formal financial services beyond the reach of low-income households.

Documentation requirements can also prevent many individuals from opening formal financial accounts. Financial institutions typically require government-issued identification to comply with Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations designed to prevent fraud, money laundering, and other financial crimes.

While these safeguards are important for maintaining the integrity of the financial system, they can unintentionally exclude large segments of the population who lack formal identification.

According to the World Bank’s Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative, an estimated 850 million people worldwide do not have an official proof of identity, and many more possess identification that is not recognized by financial institutions. Without valid identification, opening a bank account or accessing formal financial services becomes extremely difficult.

This challenge is particularly pronounced in rural and low-income communities where birth registration systems may be incomplete and access to government documentation services is limited. In some regions, individuals may need to travel long distances to government offices to obtain identification, often involving additional costs and administrative hurdles.

Women are disproportionately affected by this barrier. In many countries, women are less likely than men to possess formal identification due to legal restrictions, social norms, or lower access to documentation processes. As a result, identification requirements can reinforce existing gender gaps in financial access.

For millions of people, the issue is not a lack of willingness to participate in the financial system. It is simply that the documentation required to enter the system is beyond their reach.

Trust also plays an important role. In communities where formal financial systems have historically been inaccessible or unreliable, individuals may be hesitant to engage with institutions they do not fully understand.

These barriers contribute to persistent gaps in financial access across regions and demographic groups.

Women are disproportionately affected. Globally, 56% of the unbanked population are women, representing approximately 740 million individuals. Geography also shapes financial exclusion. Many unbanked individuals live in rural areas where financial institutions have limited presence and digital infrastructure may be inconsistent.

Despite these challenges, communities around the world have developed their own financial systems to manage money and support one another.

One of the most widespread and enduring of these systems is the community savings group.

Savings groups are self-managed financial collectives in which members regularly contribute small amounts of money to a shared fund. Members can borrow from this pool to cover household expenses, invest in small businesses, or respond to emergencies. Loans are typically repaid with small amounts of interest, allowing the collective fund to grow over time.

These systems operate through trust, transparency, and collective governance. Groups establish rules around contributions, lending terms, and repayment schedules, and members often meet regularly to manage their finances together.

While the concept may seem simple, savings groups have deep historical roots.

Informal savings and lending systems have existed for centuries across many parts of the world. Variations of these models can be found in West African esusu groups, Ethiopian iqub, Kenyan chamas, Indonesian arisan, and Caribbean susu systems, among many others. These community-based financial systems emerged long before modern banking institutions reached rural and underserved communities.

In many cases, they developed out of necessity. When formal financial services were unavailable or inaccessible, communities created their own mechanisms to pool resources, manage risk, and support economic activity.

Modern development programs later adapted these traditional systems into more structured savings group models. One of the most widely known models, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), was developed in the early 1990s through development programs in Niger. The model introduced standardized practices for savings cycles, loan management, and recordkeeping while preserving the community-driven nature of the groups.

Today, savings groups have become one of the most effective grassroots financial inclusion tools worldwide. Estimates suggest that over 20 million savings groups serve more than 300 million people globally, the majority of whom are women.

Savings groups help individuals build financial discipline, accumulate savings, and access small loans that support household needs or income-generating activities.

For many members, they represent the first and most accessible financial service available.

However, while savings groups have proven effective for decades, they have traditionally operated using manual tools such as handwritten ledgers and paper records.

These systems work, but they also introduce limitations. Paper records can be lost or damaged, calculations can become complex over time, and financial activity within the groups often remains invisible to the broader financial system.

As conversations around financial inclusion continue to evolve, increasing attention is being placed on how community-based financial systems can be strengthened and supported as part of broader financial ecosystems.

Savings groups already play an important role in expanding financial access in communities where formal banking infrastructure is limited or absent. Supporting these systems is an important part of closing the global financial inclusion gap.

For a deeper look at why these groups are critical to the broader financial system, read our article on [the role of community savings groups in the financial ecosystem].

At DreamStart Labs, this mission sits at the core of our work. We focus on supporting organizations and communities working with savings groups by helping strengthen the systems that enable people to save, access financial resources, and participate more fully in economic life.

By working alongside partners across regions where savings groups are active, DreamStart Labs contributes to efforts aimed at expanding financial inclusion and strengthening the community-based financial systems that millions of people rely on every day.

For many individuals, savings groups represent the first step toward financial participation. Supporting these systems helps create pathways toward greater economic stability, opportunity, and resilience.

Understanding how these community-led financial systems operate—and why they continue to thrive—is an important part of building a more inclusive financial future.

In 1908, women marched through the streets of New York demanding better working conditions, fair wages, and the right to be recognized as workers. That moment would later become part of the foundation for what we now know as Women’s History Month.

More than a century later, the context has changed, but something else has remained. Much of what women build is still carried in ways that are not always visible. It shows up in how knowledge is shared, how support is given, and how confidence moves quietly from one woman to another over time.

This Women’s Month, women across DreamStart Labs were asked a series of questions. About what they have gained from other women, what they have passed on, and what they hope will continue.

What came through was not a set of isolated answers. It felt more like a thread. Something continuous. Something shared.

What Do You Hope the Next Generation of Women Will Inherit?

For Sarah Mwaitenda, Regional Manager for East and South Africa, the answer begins with culture.

I hope the next generation of women inherits a culture of supporting one another. Real progress happens when women lift each other up instead of competing. By sharing opportunities, encouraging each other, and celebrating every success, we create stronger paths for those who follow and help more women grow into confident leaders.

The same question, asked again, takes a different shape with Omotola Sanni, Marketing & Communications Manager.

I hope the next generation of women inherits audacity from us. The confidence to take up space, ask for what they want, and pursue their ambitions without shrinking themselves. I also hope they inherit a deep commitment to learning, the humility to learn from anyone and the wisdom to learn from other women.

Taken together, these responses do not compete with each other. They complete each other. One speaks to how women show up for each other. The other speaks to how women show up for themselves.

What Have You Gained from the Communities of Women Around You That You Could Never Have Built Alone?

For Teresa Gailey, Business Manager, the answer is not framed as growth. It is framed as reassurance.

I’ve gained the knowledge that there is a community of people always ready to help in times of need. The patriarchal world generally seeks to divide us, but I’ve seen women continually choose to come together in solidarity when it matters the most. Our strongest asset is that we are not alone. We have each other.

That same question carries a different weight in Sheila Saidimu’s experience as a Customer Success Representative in Kenya.

Balancing work and motherhood requires intention, flexibility, and understanding not perfection. Women gain strength from workplaces that value output over optics and empathy over rigid expectations. When organizations create space for flexibility, mentorship, and honest conversations, mothers don’t just survive professionally, they thrive.

Community is not just something you feel. It is something you experience. It shows up in support that is practical, consistent, and present when it is needed.

What Is the Most Important Thing You’ve Passed On, and Where Did You Learn It?

For Benita Ikpeamar, Social Media Associate, the answer begins with conviction.

The most important thing I’ve passed on is the practical belief that we are the solutions we’ve been waiting for. In my own way, I pass it on by sharing free resources, opening doors to opportunities, supporting women-led work, and creating content that connects women to real solutions. I learned this by watching the women around me lead.

For Pham Le Truc Quynh, Customer Success Representative in Vietnam, what she carries forward is rooted in discipline.

I think it is the initiative to improve one’s own knowledge, not only academically but also in everyday life. A woman with knowledge can achieve remarkable accomplishments in life. I learned this from my mother, who has always supported me, stood by my side, and given me advice whenever I faced difficulties in life.

Different experiences. Different starting points. But the same pattern. What is passed on is not abstract. It is observed. It is learned up close. And then it is lived out.

What Is Something You Carry from the Women Who Raised You?

For Jenchat Bishen, Customer Success Representative in Nigeria, the answer is deeply personal.

To the women who raised me: you demonstrated that being a woman means many things and anything but never fitting into a stereotype. By watching you navigate life’s complexities with grace and grit, I learned the resourcefulness and adaptability that allow me to deliver efficiently in my work today. I carry your resilience into every challenge I solve.

Some things are not taught directly. You see them enough times, and they stay with you.

What Is Something You Know Now That You Wish You Could Tell Your Younger Self?

For Abena Achiaa Boakye, Customer Success Representative in Ghana, the answer is simple, but it carries weight.

I would tell my younger self not to be afraid. I would tell her not to be afraid of trying, failing, and even succeeding. I would remind her that time is not endless, so she should grab opportunities as they come. It’s better to make ‘mistakes’ early, while you are still learning and discovering yourself, than to wait for the ‘perfect’ moment.

Experience has a way of turning into clarity. And clarity, when shared, becomes guidance.

What Is the Most Powerful Thing You’ve Seen One Woman Do for Another?

For Grace Mureithi, Director of Customer Success, the answer is simple. But it carries more weight the longer you sit with it.

Show up. Watching women boldly and consistently show up for one another reshaped how I understand confidence. I’ve learned that confidence is both contagious and collective. When one woman shows up with courage, it strengthens the rest of us, and together, our impact is multiplied.

It sounds simple because it is. But it is not easy. Showing up consistently, for others and for yourself, is what makes everything else possible.

What This Leaves Behind

Across these reflections, a pattern begins to form. What women gain does not stay with them. It moves. Support becomes support given. Knowledge becomes knowledge shared. Confidence becomes something others can build on. This is how things grow. Not through single moments, but through continuity.

Women’s History Month began with women demanding to be seen. Today, that visibility continues to expand. Not only through recognition, but through the ways women continue to shape each other.

What is learned is passed on. What is experienced is shared. What is gained becomes something to give. And that is how progress continues.

Month: March 2026

Financial Inclusion: Understanding the Global Access Gap

Give to Gain: The Women of DreamStart Labs