FinMark Trust

21/08/2026

Across Southern Africa, women trade across borders, send and receive money, support households, and build livelihoods. But the financial systems they rely on don’t always reflect how women live and work.

Our research on women informal cross-border traders and cross-border remittances shows that women are active participants in regional economies – yet continue to navigate barriers around affordability, safety, trust, access to finance, digital payments, documentation and financial services.

Read more on women's roles in:
Cross-border traders: https://www.finmark.org.za/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&term=Women+cross-border+traders
Cross-border remittances:https://finmark.org.za/Publications/WCBR_Summary_Report.pdf

The opportunity is to build financial systems that work for how women actually earn, trade, send, receive, and use money.

When financial inclusion enables women to participate more fully in the economy, it becomes economic inclusion.

14/08/2026

Small changes. Bigger opportunities.

For Bathabile Zwane, going digital meant more than accepting payments. It opened new ways to grow her business, Happy Bite Home Trading.

From selling food in Thembisa to offering digital services such as airtime, electricity and DSTV vouchers, Bathabile is using digitalisation to strengthen her livelihood and serve her community.

Read her story: https://finmark.org.za/Community_digitalisation/Happy_Bite.html

This Women’s Month, we’re highlighting what meaningful digital inclusion looks like when access makes stronger businesses, new income and greater opportunity possible.

Her story is part of the Community Digitalisation Project, implemented in collaboration with the World Bank under the Inclusive Payments Digitalisation Programme (IPDP).

12/08/2026

Access is only the starting point.
For women, being financially included is about more than having access to a bank account or financial service.

Can it be trusted?
Is it affordable?
Can it be used safely, privately and with confidence?
And does it work for women's everyday realities?

This Women's Month, we're looking beyond access to understand what enables meaningful financial inclusion for women.

Explore the five barriers in this video.

09/08/2026

Seventy years after more than 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings in 1956, we honour their legacy by continuing to challenge the barriers that limit women's opportunities today.

At FinMark Trust, we believe the next frontier of financial inclusion is about more than access. It is about understanding – and addressing – the barriers that prevent women from using financial services in ways that strengthen their economic resilience.

This Women's Month, we'll be sharing stories and insights from our work that explore what meaningful financial inclusion looks like in practice – and why trust, affordability, safety, privacy and usability matter just as much as access.

Together, we can help build financial systems that create greater opportunities for women, their families and their communities.

31/07/2026

To everyone who attended yesterday’s launch of the FinScope Consumer South Africa 2025 Survey Results, thank you for joining us. We appreciate your participation as we explored the latest evidence on South Africans' financial behaviour and financial inclusion.

If you missed the session or would like to revisit the findings, please use the event resources available here.
📄 Download the presentation:https://finmark.org.za/Publications/FinScope_2025_Launch.pdf
🎥 Watch the full webinar: https://youtu.be/ljAya2zN6AE

We look forward to continuing the conversation.

Johannesburg, 30 July 2026 – South Africans are finding ways to mak...

30/07/2026

The launch of the FinScope South Africa 2025 Consumer Survey this morning sparked important conversations about the future of financial inclusion in South Africa.

The data tells an important story, but the discussion went even further – exploring what rising living costs mean for households, why the informal economy matters, and how financial services can better support South Africans.

Here are the key insights from the launch.

Read the official media release: https://finmark.org.za/knowledge-hub/articles/media-release-finscope-consumer-south-africa-2025?entity=blog

30/07/2026

We're live with the FinScope Consumer South Africa 2025 Survey Results.

Today, we're sharing the latest nationally representative evidence on financial inclusion, consumer financial behaviour and household resilience in South Africa.

Stay tuned for the key findings.

28/07/2026

Are you a recent graduate in Economics, Finance, Public Policy, Banking, International Development, or related fields, seeking real-world experience?

FinMark Trust is looking for a Project Administration Intern to join our Programmes team. This is an opportunity for a recent graduate to gain hands-on experience supporting projects that advance financial inclusion across Southern Africa.

If you have a qualification in Economics, Finance, Public Policy, Banking, International Development, or a related field, we'd love to hear from you.

📅 Closing date: 12 August 2026.

Read the and apply here:https://finmark.org.za/TOR/ToR_PM_Intern.pdf

If you know someone who would be a great fit, please share this with your network.

27/07/2026

What do the latest FinScope findings reveal about South Africans' financial lives?

This Thursday, 30 July, we will launch the full results and nationally representative evidence on financial inclusion and consumer financial behaviour.

The 2025 survey will also present findings on the financial lives and economic participation of South Africa's adult foreign-national population, providing new evidence to inform policy and practice.

To attend the virtual results launch, register here: a057af05-575f-4823-90be-97692dc4f705@1325b736-267d-4ace-9034-e54e452db69f" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/a057af05-575f-4823-90be-97692dc4f705@1325b736-267d-4ace-9034-e54e452db69f

24/07/2026

Getting children safely to school is Atlegang's priority. 🚌
Digital payments have made running his scholar transport business simpler, safer and more convenient for the families he serves and for his business itself.
Read his story and see how small changes are making a big difference.
👉 https://finmark.org.za/Community_digitalisation/Transport.html

Through the Community Digitalisation project in Thembisa and Hammanskraal, FinMark Trust, in collaboration with the World Bank and supported by SECO and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), is documenting stories like Atlegang's that show how digital payments are supporting local businesses.