The Level One Project (L1P) outlines system principles to make digital financial services (DFS) more inclusive, useful, and affordable. This report investigates how these principles affect women in Kenya, drawing on qualitative research with 80 end-users and 11 experts. It finds that certain L1P principles (for example, access notifications, irrevocability, consumer education, and access to DFS agents—who are not necessarily female) are likely to affect women more than men, particularly women as SME owners/managers. In other cases, L1P principles affect men and women equally but, in either case, are most likely to affect those older people, rural inhabitants, or those who are less digitally comfortable.
Key findings include:
- Women rely more heavily on agents and value real-time notifications and trusted access points to build confidence in DFS.
- Privacy and control are especially important for women, shaping their use of separate accounts and cautious transaction behavior.
- Irrevocability and unclear notifications can lead women to revert to cash.
- Women benefit from tiered KYC and appreciate authentication steps as trust-building.
- DFS education is more effective when delivered through peer networks and community models.
These insights can serve as guidance for digital financial service providers, regulators, scheme operators, donors, and perhaps other third-party service providers building inclusive financial services and looking to narrow the gender gap.