Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Analyze the economic and social case for promoting **Gender-Inclusive Financial Regulation (GIFR)** and closing the gender gap.
• Identify the specific **supply-side and demand-side barriers** women face in accessing and using financial services.
• Develop and implement policy requirements for **sex-disaggregated data (SDD)** collection and analysis by financial institutions.
• Evaluate how existing regulations (e.g., ID requirements, property law, fair lending) may unintentionally create or perpetuate **gender bias**.
• Design regulatory incentives and mandates to promote **women's entrepreneurship finance** and leadership in the financial sector.
• Integrate a **gender lens** into financial consumer protection, literacy, and market conduct supervision.
• Assess the use of FinTech and digital tools in both closing and potentially widening the financial gender gap.
• Develop practical recommendations for adapting regulatory frameworks to promote women's financial inclusion and economic empowerment.

• Policy Makers and Regulatory Officials from Central Banks and Ministries of Finance
• Financial Inclusion and Consumer Protection Specialists
• Heads of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Diversity/Inclusion in Financial Institutions
• Development Finance Professionals from IFIs (e.g., World Bank, UN, Regional Development Banks)
• Researchers and Academics focused on Gender Economics and Finance
• Senior Executives and Board Members of Financial Institutions
• FinTech Innovators seeking to design gender-responsive products

• Case Studies analyzing regulatory reforms that successfully reduced the gender gap.
• Group Activities in drafting a regulatory policy mandating sex-disaggregated data collection.
• Discussions on the ethics and efficacy of gender-specific financial products.
• Individual Exercises on performing a gender-lens analysis of existing ID requirements.
• Policy workshop simulation on achieving cross-agency consensus on GIFR objectives.
• Review of successful women's entrepreneurship finance policy instruments.

Unit 1: The Case for Gender-Inclusive Regulation

• The magnitude and drivers of the global financial gender gap (access, usage, quality).
• The economic benefits of women's financial inclusion (GDP growth, household resilience).
• Overview of international commitments (SDGs, G20) and frameworks (GIFR).
• Analyzing the intersectionality of gender with other inclusion dimensions (e.g., rural, age).

• How traditional ID, collateral, and property laws create hurdles for women.
• Unintended gender bias in credit scoring models and alternative data usage.
• Regulatory requirements that discourage the development of women-centric products.
• Analyzing the influence of social norms and legal capacity on financial access.

Unit 2: The Policy Toolkit for GIFR

• Mandating and utilizing **sex-disaggregated data (SDD)** for diagnostic analysis and monitoring.
• Integrating a **Gender Lens** into existing Fair Lending and UDAAP compliance.
• Regulatory guidance on avoiding gender bias in algorithmic credit decision-making.
• Promoting equal opportunity and gender diversity within financial institutions.

• Policy levers to promote **women's entrepreneurship finance** (e.g., credit guarantee schemes).
• Regulatory adaptation for group-based liability and non-traditional collateral (e.g., SACCOs).
• Incentivizing the development of digital financial services that meet women's needs.
• Addressing safety, privacy, and security concerns in DFS for female users.

Unit 3: Gender-Responsive Supervision and Consumer Protection

• Integrating gender-specific indicators into the Market Conduct Supervisory Framework.
• Designing consumer education and financial literacy programs tailored for women.
• Ensuring accessible and confidential **dispute resolution** for women.
• Regulatory oversight of advertising and marketing targeting women.

Unit 4: Leadership and Organizational Change

• Mandating or incentivizing **gender diversity** in financial sector boards and senior management.
• The link between female leadership and an institution's focus on female clients.
• Regulatory approaches to equal pay and career progression within financial firms.
• Case studies on the impact of gender-smart staffing and branch location decisions.

Unit 5: Measuring Impact and International Benchmarks

• Developing **Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)** for gender financial inclusion (access, usage, outcomes).
• Benchmarking national GIFR against global best practices (e.g., AFI, GBA).
• Strategies for linking GIFR goals to national development plans and budgeting.
• Future research and policy agenda for closing the last mile gender gap.