Webinar - Unlocking Financial Inclusion for Refugee Women
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The webinar was organised by SCBF and iGravity. The research was supported by the Impact-Linked Fund for Gender Inclusive FinTech.
How can financial service providers, technology companies and development partners help refugee women move beyond basic access to financial services and use them to strengthen their livelihoods? This was the focus of a webinar hosted by the SCBF and iGravity on 10 November 2026.
Michael Kiema from iGravity presented research insights from Kenya and Uganda, alongside practical experiences from the field, highlighting the barriers refugee women face and the opportunities to advance their financial inclusion.
A key theme was the gap between access and meaningful usage. Research presented by iGravity highlighted that, despite growing mobile money adoption in Kenya and Uganda, refugee women's use remains largely concentrated on receiving and withdrawing money. Their ability to access savings, credit and insurance is still constrained by documentation and KYC requirements, affordability, limited digital skills, connectivity gaps and household gender dynamics.
Speakers shared practical approaches to addressing these challenges. Tamsin Scurfield from Opportunity International highlighted how group lending, simplified KYC, collateral-free loans and bundled insurance can make financial services more accessible, while financial literacy and entrepreneurship training help strengthen women's economic participation.
Rebecca Aime, Founder and CEO of Patapia, shared how her refugee-led organisation combines digital microloans and asset financing with smartphones, business training and community-based support. Its AI-enabled platform, offering guidance in local languages, further demonstrates how technology can support women in managing finances and growing their businesses.
Carol Gitobu from GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation emphasised that connectivity alone does not guarantee digital inclusion. Affordable devices and data, reliable networks, digital skills and online safety are equally important to enabling women to use digital financial services independently.
The discussion also highlighted the importance of supportive policies, recognising refugee identification documents and building stronger partnerships across financial institutions, governments, technology providers and development organisations.
The overarching message was clear: meaningful financial inclusion goes beyond providing access to a phone, an account or a loan. It requires solutions that recognise refugee women's economic activities, respond to their needs and enable them to use financial services safely and confidently. Above all, solutions must be designed with refugee women, rather than simply for them.
Speakers
- Michael Kiema | iGravity
- Tamsin Scurfield | Opportunity International
- Rebecca Aime | Patapia
- Carol Gitobu | GSMA Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation
Moderator: Azalea Carisch, Learning and Insights Manager, SCBF
Watch the webinar recording here
Explore the research: Unlocking Financial Inclusion for Refugee Women in Uganda and Kenya: A Market Systems Analysis of Barriers and Enablers



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