In a recent blog, we introduced our Gender Disaggregated Data (GDD) for Inclusive Regulation Program, highlighting its collaborative efforts with global and national partners to enhance the collection, analysis, and use of gender-disaggregated data in financial policymaking.
Recognizing the significant progress already made by global and national initiatives, our program complements existing efforts and helps translate them into actionable tools and regulatory practices. We combine global collaboration with in-country engagement, working closely with regulators in Nigeria, Tanzania, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Rwanda.
Our program draws on tools such as AIR’s Innovation Elements Framework, which helps regulators identify strengths, diagnose barriers, map system constraints, and prioritize high-impact opportunities for action. We also apply the COM-B model (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation) to better understand and address the behavioral factors that shape how data is collected and used in practice.
Globally, we see that collecting and applying high-quality GDD is critical to advancing women’s financial inclusion. It also helps inform the design of more tailored products and services by making women’s experiences more visible and better understood. Below are examples of strong GDD foundations, paired with practical cases from different countries.
Moving from data collection to impact requires a strong enabling environment. This includes legal and regulatory foundations, along with policy integration and strategic alignment, to ensure GDD is consistently collected and embedded in national priorities.
Nigeria offers a strong example, where the central bank has paired gender reporting mandates with national inclusion frameworks, strategies and digital infrastructure, culminating in a real-time dashboard to inform policy and product design.
Pakistan shows how national strategies can drive impact, combining clear KPIs under the Banking on Equality Policy, mandatory gender reporting, capacity building, and regular publication of gender-disaggregated data.
Effective systems also depend on institutional ownership and governance, stakeholder coordination and ecosystem linkages. Clear leadership and coordination help align stakeholders and operationalize policy.
In Tanzania, gender inclusion is effectively anchored in their national financial inclusion framework, with strong coordination mechanisms and recent regulatory guidance to promote diversity and inclusivity across the sector.
On the operational side, data architecture and reporting processes and dashboard and analytics are critical for scale and usability.
Bangladesh demonstrates how gender data can be operationalized, embedding indicators into supervisory reporting and consolidating them through dashboards aligned with national strategy and digital finance statistics.
Sustained impact also depends on supervisory and market use, alongside capacity building, transparency, and a well-defined continuity plan.
Rwanda offers a strong example of an advanced GDD system, with a centralized dashboard that aggregates gender data across financial institutions, supported by national strategies and robust digital public infrastructure.
As noted above, substantial progress has already been made across the GDD ecosystem. International partners have translated these efforts into practical resources. Below is a non-exhaustive list of useful examples. If you are…
…building awareness and identifying gender data gaps, look at resources like the Financial Alliance for Women and Data2X Gender Data Gender Data Playbook and the Global Findex Database, which can help you understand where you stand and where the biggest gaps lie.
…assessing what data exists and where gaps remain, resources like the UNCDF Gender Disaggregated Data Mapping Tool and CGAP’s LENS Tool can help you map what’s already there and spot what’s missing.
…working to improve data consistency and reliability, the AFI Sex-Disaggregated Data Toolkit, the World Bank Survey Design Guidance and the WE Finance Code guidelines offer practical guidance on strengthening definitions, standards, and data quality.
…establishing reporting frameworks or dashboards, resources such as the AFI report templates and tools like the ConsumerCentriX Dashboard can support clearer, more structured reporting.
…looking to use gender data to inform action, advanced sections of the Gender Data Playbook and resources like the WWB Policy Handbook can help translate insights into supervision, policy, and market decisions.
As our GDD and inclusive regulation program evolves, we will deepen research and curate practical resources to help turn insights into tangible outcomes.
These insights will inform the co-development of practical tools and frameworks to help regulators strengthen analytical capacity and apply data more effectively in decision-making. And with dedicated sprint activities on the horizon, more work is underway. Watch this space!
To learn more about the program or upcoming work on GDD for inclusive regulation, please contact AIR’s Innovation Programs Lead, Lauren Cassells.
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