In this episode, Jack met Gayatri Murthy, Gender Lead at CGAP to explore the next chapter of women's financial inclusion.

Women’s financial inclusion has made undeniable progress, but access alone has not delivered empowerment. 

Drawing on global research and country experience, we unpack the systemic barriers that persist beneath the surface including gender norms embedded in institutions, fragmented efforts, and misaligned incentives. 

Through the episode, we explore how to move from access to agency, why collective action matters, and what it takes to trigger a visible step-change toward genuine economic empowerment for women.

About Our Guest

Gayatri Murthy is CGAP’s gender lead. She is currently working on building country-level platforms in Mexico, Morocco and India to transform the financial sector for women customers. Her expertise spans building research methods, digital business models and gender intentional policy for low-income communities and women business owners. Gayatri has a Master’s degree in International Communication from the School of International Service at American University in Washington, D.C., and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, India. She is fluent in Hindi. 

Additional Resources

If you would like to read more on women's financial inclusion, you can check out this collection of resources developed by CGAP. Also, you can read this brand new blog co-authored by Gayatri on Redefining Approaches to Women's Financial Inclusion through a Collective Shift in Mexico.

About Our Sponsor

We are proud that CGAP is also the exclusive sponsor of Season 2! CGAP are a global partnership of 40+ development organisations working to advance the lives of people living in poverty through financial inclusion. Housed at the World Bank, its independent research and analysis is available to all as a global public good.

Follow CGAP on LinkedIn or subscribe to its newsletter.

Connect With Us

Don't miss the remaining episodes of Series 2! Subscribe to Financial Inclusion Unlocked on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.

Join the conversation on LinkedIn at Financial Inclusion Unlocked for video highlights, insights, and updates.

Financial Inclusion Unlocked is produced by SIJ Media and your host is Jack Farren.

In this episode, we sit down with Rahma Seif, Producer at Mediae, to go behind the scenes of one of East Africa's most successful edutainment initiatives. Edutainment  (education through entertainment) is moving from experimental to essential in the financial inclusion sector, with evidence showing it achieves significantly better knowledge retention and behaviour change than traditional approaches. 

Rahma walks us through Mediae's long-running serialised drama Makutano Junction and its spin-off Maisha Makutano, an educational TV drama set in a fictional Kenyan village that brings financial literacy to life through relatable characters and storylines.

Key Topics Discussed

• Why stories stick where statistics don't -  the case for edutainment in financial inclusion
• How Maisha Makutano portrays SACCOs and chamas as vital support systems for women
• The craft of character and storyline selection to deliver real financial literacy messages
• Balancing entertainment value with educational content without the show feeling like a lecture
• Mediae's two-way platform enabling viewers to seek personalised financial advice
• Measuring actual behaviour change beyond  viewership numbers
• Partnerships with TV networks for broad reach and audience data collection
• Sustaining high-quality content beyond initial donor funding, and the role financial institutions can play

About Our Guest

Rahma Seif is a Producer at Mediae, a Nairobi-based organisation with a rich history in edutainment across East Africa. Rahma is passionate about using storytelling as a catalyst for social change in Africa. She leads multi-platform media productions that amplify African voices and perspectives, designs audience engagement strategies rooted in research and cultural insight and manages partnerships with brands, NGOs, and development organizations to align creative outputs with strategic goals.

About Our Sponsor
If you would like to read more on edutainment and financial inclusion following our discussion with Rahma, we recommend this blog post from our Series 2 sponsors CGAP — Everyone Loves Drama: Changing Financial Norms With Edutainment.

CGAP is a global partnership of 40+ development organisations working to advance the lives of people living in poverty through financial inclusion. Housed at the World Bank, its independent research and analysis is available to all as a global public good.

Follow CGAP on LinkedIn or subscribe to its newsletter.

Connect With Us

Don't miss the remaining episodes of Series 2! Subscribe to Financial Inclusion Unlocked on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.

Join the conversation on LinkedIn at Financial Inclusion Unlocked for video highlights, insights, and updates.

Financial Inclusion Unlocked is produced by SIJ Media and your host is Jack Farren.

In Episode 4 of the series, we meet Solène Podevin Favre, Global Director of Insurance at VisionFund International. Solène shares VFI's experience designing and scaling inclusive insurance across Africa, Asia, and Latin America — covering what they've learned about co-creating trusted products with insurers and communities, and why partnership is key to building resilience for microfinance borrowers and NGO beneficiaries alike.

Key Topics Discussed

• Solène's journey from public health to leading microinsurance in global markets
• How VisionFund bundles insurance with microcredit across 25 countries and 1 million borrowers
• Why health remains the top priority risk, even where national health schemes exist
• Climate and agricultural insurance products for farming communities
• Co-creation: listening to beneficiaries and field staff to design products that work
• Start simple, iterate fast, and don't be afraid to change the product
• Sustainable partnerships between insurers, MFIs, and NGOs

About Our Guest
Solène Podevin Favre has been Global Director of Insurance for VisionFund International since 2019, supporting MFIs in setting up insurance operations for borrowers and families. She is also a board member of the Microinsurance Network. Before VFI, she founded and led the first microinsurance company in Cambodia (Prévoir), reaching 300,000 policies with a team of 147. She also ran a microinsurance programme for slum dwellers in Maharashtra, India, and worked on Cambodia's National Social Security design. Solène holds a postgraduate degree in Public Health from EHESP.

Links for Further Reading

VisionFund Insurance: visionfund.org/our-focus/insurance

About Our Sponsor
CGAP is a global partnership of more than 40 development organizations working to advance the lives of people living in poverty through financial inclusion. Housed at the World Bank, it works at the frontier of inclusive finance to test solutions, spark innovation, generate evidence, and share insights. As a global public good, its independent research and analysis is available to all.

Follow CGAP on LinkedIn or subscribe to its newsletter.

Connect With Us
Don't miss the remaining episodes of Series 2! Subscribe to Financial Inclusion Unlocked on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app.

Join the conversation on LinkedIn at Financial Inclusion Unlocked for video highlights, insights, and updates.

Financial Inclusion Unlocked is produced by SIJ Media and hosted by Jack Farren.

Remittances are a vital financial lifeline for millions of African families, helping to strengthen household resilience, advance financial inclusion and support local economic growth. 

Across much of the continent, remittances have traditionally been received in cash, typically between US$200 and US$300 per transaction, often involving long travel times and the risks associated with carrying money. 

Through the EU-funded PRIME Africa Programme, implemented by IFAD’s Financing Facility for Remittances (FFR), the remittance ecosystem in seven African countries has become more digital, inclusive and connected.

The episode brings together voices from IFAD, the private sector and public institutions to discuss what it really takes to build inclusive remittance ecosystems and how the growing diaspora economy can unlock deeper financial inclusion. 

Meet The Guests

Pedro De Vasconcelos - Programme Manager - Financing Facility for Remittances (FFR), IFAD

Pedro is IFAD’s Lead Senior Technical Specialist on remittances, migration and inclusive finance.  Under his leadership, the FFR financed over 70 innovative projects globally on migration and economic development by maximizing the impact of remittances and migrant investment in their communities of origin. 
 

Samuel Abbey Dodoo - Head, Inclusive Banking, Fidelity Bank Ghana

Samuel Abbey Dodoo is a Financial Inclusion strategist and Head of Inclusive Banking at Fidelity Bank Ghana. With over 15 years of experience, Samuel has led transformative initiatives that leverage technology to expand access to finance for youth, women, and underserved communities. He has spearheaded projects such as Digital Microcredit (Bosea Loan) Ecosystems and Gender-focused Digital Financial Literacy programmes.

Sait Ceesay - Director, APS International

Sait Ceesay is the Managing Director of APS International, a UK-based financial services company specialising in money remittance and services for the Gambian diaspora. Under his leadership, the firm operates in 17 countries, providing instant money transfers and top-up services.

Emmanuel Ssemambo - Head of External Statistics Division, Bank of Uganda (BoU)

Emmanuel Ssemambo oversees the compilation of Uganda’s Balance of Payments (BoP) and International Investment Position (IIP) statistics, which encompass the country’s trade in goods and services with the rest of the world, official and private transfers (including remittances), as well as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and other financial flows.

Connect With Us

Don't miss the remaining episodes of Series 2! Subscribe to Financial Inclusion Unlocked on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Join the conversation on LinkedIn at Financial Inclusion Unlocked for video highlights, insights, and updates from the world of financial inclusion.

Financial Inclusion Unlocked is produced by SIJ Media and hosted by Jack Farren.

About Our Sponsor

CGAP is a global partnership of more than 40 development organizations working to advance the lives of people living in poverty through financial inclusion. Housed at the World Bank, it works at the frontier of inclusive finance to test solutions, spark innovation, generate evidence, and share insights. As a global public good, its independent research and analysis is available to all.

You can also follow CGAP on LinkedIn or subscribe to its newsletter.

In Episode 2, we meet Maria Mateo Iborra, Founder of IBISA. In this episode, Maria shares her entrepreneurial journey that led to founding IBISA, a company that leverages satellite technology to provide innovative insurance solutions for farmers. We discuss her passion for technology, the challenges of entering emerging markets, and her vision for making climate insurance mainstream. 

Key Topics Discussed

• Maria's entrepreneurial journey
• The role of satellite technology in insurance
• Challenges of scaling in emerging markets
• Importance of storytelling and clear communicaiton as a founder
• Raising investment

About Our Sponsor

If you would like to read more on climate insurance following our discusison with Maria, we recommend this ARTICLE from our Series 2 sponsors CGAP! 

CGAP is a global partnership of more than 40 development organizations working to advance the lives of people living in poverty through financial inclusion. Housed at the World Bank, it works at the frontier of inclusive finance to test solutions, spark innovation, generate evidence, and share insights. As a global public good, its independent research and analysis is available to all.

You can also follow CGAP on LinkedIn or subscribe to its newsletter.

Connect With Us

Don't miss the remaining episodes of Series 2! Subscribe to Financial Inclusion Unlocked on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Join the conversation on LinkedIn at Financial Inclusion Unlocked for video highlights, insights, and updates from the world of financial inclusion.

Financial Inclusion Unlocked is produced by SIJ Media and hosted by Jack Farren.

Welcome to Series 2!

Happy New Year and welcome back to Financial Inclusion Unlocked! We're thrilled to kick off Series 2 with 10 powerful episodes releasing every Monday through the end of March. This season, we're diving deep into conversations with innovators, practitioners, and thought leaders who are working to unlock the potential of financial inclusion for all.

In this opening episode, we tackle a topic that's often overlooked but desperately needs attention: disability inclusion in financial services. With 16% of the global population, that's 1 in 7 people, living with some form of disability, and 80% of them residing in low-and middle-income countries, the opportunity and imperative for action is clear.

Meet Our Guests

Paul Surreaux is a financial inclusion specialist, disability advocate, and co-founder of the Barrier-Free Finance Initiative (BFFI), an organization advancing access to financial services for persons with disabilities worldwide. Since 2009, Paul has led multiple projects in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa, combining capacity building with tailored financial products for vulnerable populations. A former investment officer who became a quadriplegic after a surfing accident, Paul brings both professional expertise and lived experience to his work. 

Luis Fernando Sanabria is the Chief Operating Officer of Fundación Paraguaya, where he has worked for over 30 years. Luis oversees all programs including microfinance, poverty elimination, entrepreneurial education, and self-sustainable schools. He is an architect behind Fundación Paraguaya's groundbreaking disability inclusion program and co-creator of the Poverty Stoplight methodology.

Key Topics Discussed

• Understanding Disability Inclusion
• Barriers to Financial Inclusion for People with Disabilities
• Fundación Paraguaya's Success Story
• The Business Case for Disability Inclusion
• Practical Steps for FSPs

About Our Sponsor

Series 2 of Financial Inclusion Unlocked is proudly sponsored by CGAP.

CGAP is a global partnership of more than 40 development organizations working to advance the lives of people living in poverty through financial inclusion. Housed at the World Bank, it works at the frontier of inclusive finance to test solutions, spark innovation, generate evidence, and share insights. As a global public good, its independent research and analysis is available to all.

Learn more at www.cgap.org. Follow CGAP on LinkedIn or subscribe to its newsletter.

Connect With Us

Don't miss the remaining nine episodes of Series 2! Subscribe to Financial Inclusion Unlocked on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

Join the conversation on LinkedIn at Financial Inclusion Unlocked for video highlights, insights, and updates from the world of financial inclusion.

Financial Inclusion Unlocked is produced by SIJ Media and hosted by Jack Farren.

Episode Sponsored by the Microinsurance Network

In November 2025, we travelled to Luxembourg for the European Microfinance Award. The award is a prestigious prize that recognises outstanding initiatives advancing financial inclusion; in its 2025 edition, the theme focused on building resilience through inclusive insurance.

The award is organised by InFiNe, the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP), and the Luxembourg Government, with this year’s edition also supported by the Microinsurance Network.

After a competitive global selection process, three MiN members were selected as finalists: Radiant Yacu – Rwanda, Dhan Foundation – India, and Britam Insurance – Kenya.

In this bonus episode, we sat down with the winner of the 2025 Award: Radiant Yacu. Representing the organisation in Luxembourg was Emmanuel Nzanana, Operations Manager. Emmanuel joined us for an energising and insightful conversation about Radiant Yacu’s mission to protect low-income households from financial shocks, the innovative design behind their products, how they build trust in rural communities, and what the €100,000 award will enable them to achieve next.

This episode is supported by the Microinsurance Network – a non-profit association of organisations and individuals who are committed to building a world where people of all income levels are more resilient and less vulnerable to daily and catastrophic risks through improved access to effective risk management tools, including insurance services.

MiN brings together insurers, regulators, innovators, development partners, researchers, and practitioners across 70+ countries. Through research, advocacy, facilitation of best practices, and global knowledge-sharing, MiN plays a vital role in strengthening the inclusive insurance ecosystem.

Learn more at www.microinsurancenetwork.org, and explore insights from their flagship global study, The Landscape of Microinsurance 2024:
👉 https://microinsurancenetwork.org/resources/the-landscape-of-microinsurance-2024

A warm thank you also goes to InFiNe Luxembourg for supporting logistics of this episode. InFiNe (Inclusive Finance Network Luxembourg) brings together 44 stakeholders from Luxembourg's public, private, and civil society sectors to promote financial inclusion globally. Learn more at www.infine.lu

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Financial Inclusion Unlocked is a podcast on a journey to learn how we can unlock the potential of financial inclusion as an enabler for the 17 UN SDGs. The show is produced by SIJ Media.

Join our community and access exclusive content for this episode on LinkedIn at SIJ Media.

Connect with host Jack Farren on LinkedIn or at [email protected]

Series 2 of Financial Inclusion Unlocked launches in January 2026.

Following a fantastic and successful Series 1 of show, we're excited to bring you a special bonus episode, before the launch of Series 2 in January 2026.

In May 2025, Jack travelled to Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands—a stunning nation in the Pacific made up of nearly 1,000 islands. With a population of just over 800,000, the country faces unique geographic and infrastructure challenges, especially when it comes to delivering financial services to its many remote communities.

While there, we had the unique opportunity of sitting down with Governor Luke Forau, Governor of the Central Bank of the Solomon Islands, for an honest and refreshing conversation exploring the country's digital transformation, including the launch of M-SELEN, a mobile money platform, innovations in climate insurance, the role of regulatory sandboxes, and why trust and community engagement are key to expanding financial inclusion.

A huge thank you to Governor Forau for his time, and to the entire Central Bank team for so warmly hosting us in their offices.

Financial Inclusion Unlocked is a podcast on a journey to learn how we can unlock the potential of financial inclusion as an enabler for the 17 UN SDGs. This show is produced by SIJ Media.

Join our community and access exclusive content for this episode on Linkedin at SIJ Media.

Connect with host Jack Farren on Linkedin or [email protected]

In this season finale, we take you to Uganda to explore how innovative fintech and agribusiness partnerships are driving a new era of agricultural finance for coffee growers.

Emata is a Ugandan fintech (and licensed MFI) working in agriculture. They partner with agri companies to give smallholder farmers affordable, AI-powered digital loans. In this episode, Lilian Nassanga Musoke and Maren Hald Bjørgum walk us through the journey of the company since 2020 and how they partner with cooperatives and agribusinesses to invest in farmers.

We’re also joined by Kifula Collins, Field Co-ordinator at Agri Evolve, a profit for purpose business working with over 15,000 coffee farmers in the Rwenzori Mountains. Collins shares insights into how their partnership with Emata works, and the impact for farmers in his community.

Financial Inclusion Unlocked is a podcast on a journey to learn how we can unlock the potential of financial inclusion as an enabler for the 17 UN SDGs. This show is produced by SIJ Media, and Series 1 is sponsored by SCBF.

Join our community and access exclusive content for this episode on Linkedin at SIJ Media.

Connect with host Jack Farren on Linkedin or [email protected]

What happens when one of the world’s biggest insurers decides to design products for the population that’s too poor to be rich — and too rich to be poor?

In this deeply insightful conversation, Garance Wattez-Richard shares the story behind the creation of AXA EssentiALL. From her first pitch to launching operations in 22 markets, Garance walks us through the business model, the value proposition, and the mindset shift required to make insurance truly inclusive.

Guest: 

Garance Wattez-Richard, Founder & CEO of AXA EssentiALL

The episode covered:

• The founding story of AXA EssentiALL, the profitable inclusive insurance business now serving over 17 million customers
• Launching a new vision inside one of the world’s biggest insurers
• The challenges with social intrapreneurship
• Lessons on how to scale inclusive insurance products and expand into new markets
• Insights from her new book Middle Classes cannot be left behind: A call to action

This is more than a discussion on insurance — it’s a masterclass in designing for trust, understanding the mass market, and building for dignity.

Guest Bio

Garance Wattez-Richard began her career at the European Commission in Brussels in 1997 before working in the Office of the Chief Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London until 1999. From 2000 to 2005, she worked as a strategy consultant for London Economics and Arthur D. Little.

She joined AXA Investment Managers in Paris in 2005 and became Head of External Communications for the AXA Group in 2012. In 2016, she founded AXA's inclusive insurance business, AXA Emerging Consumers, which distributes insurance products to low-income populations in emerging markets. The business became AXA EssentiALL in 2024 when it expanded to European markets.

She has been awarded the Intrapreneur of the Year prize by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, and the first Women in Insurance Award by the Geneva Association.

For listeners interested in reading Garance's new book Middle Classes cannot be left behind: A call to action, you can purchase a copy here:

• Amazon US (EN) 
• Amazon France (EN) 

Financial Inclusion Unlocked is a podcast on a journey to learn how we can unlock the potential of financial inclusion as an enabler for the 17 UN SDGs. This show is produced by SIJ Media, and Series 1 is sponsored by SCBF.

Join our community and access exclusive content for this episode on Linkedin at SIJ Media.

Connect with host Jack Farren on Linkedin or [email protected]