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 Mrs. Meas Morokot Pich, the Head of Payroll Business at Wing Bank in Cambodia. When we sat down with her in the bustling Wing Bank offices, the energy in the room mirrored her passion. Over the past seven years, Morokot has worked tirelessly to empower women in Cambodia’s garment industry—where 80% of workers are women—by breaking down barriers to financial inclusion. Her determination, paired with a warm smile, spoke volumes about her commitment to driving change.
“Imagine if Cambodia’s 8 million women, especially those from rural areas and poverty, could access financial services. It would lift families out of poverty and tackle gender inequality.”
Partnership with Women’s World Banking
In 2021, Wing Bank partnered with Women’s World Banking to increase the usage of digital financial services among women, providing factory workers with digital products to save, borrow, and spend effectively.
The results have been transformative for both the women and to grow Wing’s customer base in Cambodia. Wing Bank’s Payroll Account user base skyrocketed from 30,000 in 2020 to over 340,000 women today. Additionally, over 80% of factory workers with Wing payroll accounts actively use the Wing Banking App, starting first with phone top-ups, and then accessing low-cost salary loans on the app and saving digitally for emergencies and their personal goals.
Shift to Digital
Digital tools have revolutionized how women in Cambodia manage their finances, marking a profound shift from cash transactions to modern banking solutions.
“Before, they would bring the ATM cards to withdraw cash; now, they bring their phones to scan QR codes,” Morokot says. This shift demonstrates not only increased digital financial literacy but also trust in formal financial systems.
Beyond convenience, digital transactions provide a safer and more transparent way for women to manage their earnings, reducing dependency on informal systems that often charge high fees or lack security. At the same time, digital payroll services provide cost savings to the factories, reducing down-time of factory production lines, and making time-consuming cash payroll operations obsolete.
Vision for the Future
For Morokot, this progress is only the beginning. “We want to see how much further we can go in helping women embrace financial inclusion. This is what motivates me to continue this work,” she shares. She envisions a Cambodia where all women, especially those in rural areas, have access to the financial tools they need to thrive. By ensuring they have access to financial services, Wing Bank is not only supporting individual workers but also driving economic growth and reducing poverty at a national scale.
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 over 83 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. Donate now.
