FSD Ethiopia convened policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, and development partners in Addis Ababa on Tuesday to mark International Women’s Day 2026 with a high-level dialogue on advancing women’s digital financial inclusion and leadership within the financial sector.
Held under the theme “Access to Influence: Advancing Women’s Digital Financial Inclusion and Leadership in the Financial Sector,” the event brought together key stakeholders from Ethiopia’s financial ecosystem to discuss policy, market, and institutional actions needed to expand women’s participation in the country’s evolving financial system.
Opening the event, Hikmet Abdella, Chief Executive Officer of FSD Ethiopia, said that building inclusive financial markets is essential to strengthening economic growth and resilience.
“A financial system that does not fully include women is a system that is not operating at its full potential,” Hikmet said. She noted that expanding access to digital financial services must also focus on usage, trust, and relevance. Financial products, she said, must reflect the realities of women’s economic activities, including agriculture, microenterprise, and small and medium-sized businesses.
The event featured keynote contributions from senior financial sector leaders, including Weynshet Zeberga, Chief Markets and Operations Officer at the National Bank of Ethiopia, who described women’s financial inclusion and leadership as a strategic pathway to Ethiopia’s economic growth.
While acknowledging the country’s progress in digital payments and financial sector reform, Weynshet called for stronger efforts to address barriers such as digital literacy gaps, limited representation of women in leadership roles, and financial products that do not adequately respond to women’s needs. (press release)
