Problem
UNPD reported that 80% of women in India do not have access to financial services and often are unbanked, and it's higher in Jharkhand, a tribal state where I come from. 50% of women in India use banking in a limited manner or don't use it all, reported Women World Banking
Contrary to the common understanding, fear of fraud, complex banking applications, and cultural bias outweighs the lack of the internet as a driver for the lack of MFS (Mobile Financial Services). According to Grammen Production, 90% of no-frill accounts are either nonactive or dormant, proving that no-frill accounts aren't a solution to this problem.
Vision
During my Summer at Brown University, we developed a storyboard on a similar idea, and I would like to take it forward as my project. It involves gap analysis, user persona development, and building an app for digital content delivery.
My project's first step is interviewing 500 women earning less than $5 daily with phone and bank account access. The second step will involve building content to address user persona-based gaps—finally, a mobile App for my website (www.mywege.org) to deliver content to the target audience. I plan to crowdsource the content and use a reward system to encourage participation.
