To celebrate Women’s World Banking’s 45th anniversary, we are showcasing the voices of individuals from around the world who have shaped and touched Women’s World Banking journey since its inception in 1979 at Commission on the Status of Women to today!
These are stories from across Women’s World Banking’s reach from the women we serve and our customers, to allies and women in leadership who have contributed to women’s economic empowerment and financial inclusion.
Meet Ganga. In rural Maharashtra, where labor and gender norms often restrict women’s economic participation, her story represents a powerful shift. For years, she balanced household duties while facing limited opportunities for formal work. In 2019, she embraced a new role as a BC Sakhi, a community banking agent. Trained through the Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission’s UMED initiative in partnership with Women’s World Banking, Ganga now plays a crucial role in providing financial services to other women and the unbanked in her community.
“I wake up at 4 AM, finish house chores, and leave by 7 AM for loan recovery. Then, I provide services to walk-in customers at the BC Sakhi point. There were problems at the start, customers did not show up, and there were trust issues. During this period, my mentors offered tremendous support, helping me stay on track.”
Today, Ganga earns between $895 to $1,195 a month, a significant income for her family. But Ganga’s journey is just one piece of a much larger puzzle. Her story illuminates the broader challenge of gender disparity in India’s rural economy, where traditional roles and limited access to financial services hold women back.
The Gender Gap in Rural India: Barriers to Economic Participation
Ganga’s story speaks to the pressing issue of gender gap in India’s labor force. In rural areas, women are often relegated to unpaid or low-paying work, contributing only about 40% of the economic value compared to men and earning less than 30% of what their male counterparts make. The structural barriers to women’s participation in formal finance—lack of education, cultural norms, and restricted mobility—are compounded by a lack of financial infrastructure.
Ganga’s journey, reflects the potential that exists when these barriers are dismantled. By placing financial tools and opportunities in the hands of women, the BC Sakhi model is helping to close the gender gap in economic participation and income. Women like Ganga are showing that with the right support, they can become powerful agents of change in their communities.
The BC Sakhi Model: Empowering Women as Financial Leaders
By training local women to act as banking agents within their communities, the BC Sakhi model not only bridges the economic gap but also addresses a systemic shift in the gendered perception of formal labor. Women like Ganga bring a unique advantage—they understand the community’s needs, have local credibility, and offer a safe and accessible way for rural women to engage with the financial system. This model taps into the trust that exists between women in these close-knit communities. Women’s World Banking estimates that if 100 million low-income women in India start saving regularly, they could generate $3.2 billion in deposits, supporting $1.25 billion in short-term loans for 20 million women. By placing at least 30% of BC positions in the hands of women, the model plays a crucial role in making this vision a reality.
The success of BC Sakhis like Ganga is not an isolated event—it’s part of a larger movement to transform the financial landscape for rural women across India. In partnership with Women’s World Banking and the Maharashtra State Rural Livelihoods Mission, more than 5,000 women have been trained as banking agents. By 2026, the goal is to expand this network to 28,000 women, ensuring that the impact reaches even more remote corners of the country. The women who participate in the BC Sakhi program not only gain financial independence but also become mentors and role models for others in their communities.
Ganga’s Vision For Future
For Ganga, the journey continues. She’s not content with her own success—she wants to see other women thrive as well.
“My work has brought significant change to our lives, and today I am proud to be able to support my family. But I want more women to experience this. I hope my fellow BC Sakhis can achieve similar success, and I am committed to working even harder to continue this progress.”
Her story reminds us of the power that lies in financial inclusion when women are given the tools and opportunities they deserve. With continued investment in programs like BC Sakhi, more women will be empowered to rewrite their own stories, just as Ganga did.
It is stories like Ganga’s that inspire us every day. We hope she inspires you too.
Women’s World Banking is dedicated to economic empowerment through financial inclusion for the nearly one billion women in the world with no or limited access to formal financial services. Using our sophisticated market and consumer research, we turn insights into real action to design and advocate for policy engagement, digital financial solutions, workplace leadership programs, and gender lens investing.
As part of our current strategy, we’ve helped provide 37 million women in emerging markets – targeting 100 million by 2027 – access and use of financial products and services that are transforming women’s lives, households, businesses and communities, and driving inclusive growth globally.
Help us reach the nearly billion women still excluded from the formal financial system.
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