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Report

An Analysis of the Level One Project Principles and the Gender Gap in Financial Services

A quantitative study on how DFS use differs from men to women in Bangladesh, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, with a focus on L1P principles

The Level One Project (L1P) principles define key design choices for building inclusive, low-cost digital payment systems tailored to underserved populations in the Global South. This report explores how L1P principles influence gender disparities in digital financial services (DFS) across five diverse markets.

The analysis focuses on four core Inclusive Instant Payment System features:

  • Interoperability
  • User Experience
  • User Fees
  • Device Quality

Key findings include:

  • Gender gaps narrow at higher socioeconomic levels, but persist overall.
  • Women are more likely to own lower-quality phones, pay higher transaction fees, and have limited access to advanced DFS like savings and credit.
  • Financial activity is highly concentrated—9% of users drive 63% of all transactions (excluding top-ups).
  • Advanced DFS users transact more frequently, but in lower amounts.
  • High app and data use correlate strongly with advanced DFS behavior.
  • USSD remains dominant; even among smartphone users, 90% of transactions occur via USSD/SIM menus. Women are 2–5× more likely than men to rely on these channels.

This research provides a behavioral baseline for evaluating future interventions and supports more gender-sensitive design of inclusive digital finance systems.

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Relevant Principles

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  • Interoperable
  • Pay Everywhere for Anything
  • Low Fees for End Users
  • Safe Payments
  • Shared Capabilities

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