Global Banking Alliance for Women

Global Banking Alliance for Women (GBA) is a non-profit organization working as an international consortium of financial institutions and other organizations interested in building women’s wealth worldwide. Its member institutions work in more than 135 countries to build innovative, comprehensive programs that bank women and provide women entrepreneurs with vital access to capital, markets, education and training.^[1] It is sponsored by a number of organizations, including international financial institutions, banks and foundations working to increase women's economic empowerment. It is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York.

Mission

GBA's mission is "to propel the growth of women in business and women’s wealth creation, while generating superior business outcomes for member financial institutions."^[1]

Services and Programs

GBA works with a range of commercial banks, from multinational corporations to not-for-profit, mission-driven financial institutions, to bank women and support women entrepreneurs.^[2] Members include Westpac in Australia,^[3] BLC Bank in Lebanon,^[4] Access Bank in Nigeria, Standard Chartered ^[5] and the Royal Bank of Scotland in the United Kingdom, Banco Popular in the United States, Itaú Unibanco in Brazil, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Peer Learning

Through a variety of peer learning activities, member banks network, share best practices and build the business case for serving the Women's Market as a distinct segment.

• GBA is well known for its annual Summit, bringing together bankers, policymakers, multilateral and bilateral representatives, academics, and other stakeholders to discuss the power of the female economy and the importance of women's full financial inclusion. The Summit features an intensive review of best practices, market innovations, in-depth Case Studies and prominent guest speakers.
• The Alliance's Mentoring Program pairs individuals from institutions with mature, successful programs with peers implementing start-up or early-stage Women’s Market programs to promote best practice sharing and discussion. Mentees and mentors collaborate on a one-on-one basis to define objectives for success and discuss the strategies that will allow them to achieve those goals.
• Field visits expose new members and those looking to take their programs to the next level to the best practices of global leaders in Women’s Market programs. These Study Tours usually include visits to headquarters and branches, as well as client interactions, so that operations and market context can be fully understood.

Research & Knowledge

The GBA collates the results, research, experience and advice of member banks with successful Women's Market programs, as well as conducts market intelligence research on the female economy.

• The GBA publishes deep-dive analytical Case Studies, topic-specific Briefing Notes, and comprehensive practitioner-focused guides. Central to the GBA’s core offering is the creation of knowledge products based on network member experience with the Women's Market.
• The Women’s Market Data Analytics program is the only industry-wide repository of Women’s Market data, offering consistent metrics and definitions, and helping members make the business case for serving women.
• GBA’s conducts tactical research to build understanding of the size of the Women's Market opportunity as well as the ways banks can capture it. Research topics include banks’ beliefs about women, women’s attitudes toward banks, their attitudes toward the Women’s Market value proposition and life cycle events that present the greatest opportunity for banks.
• Member institutions also have access to insider information on customer value propositions, effective marketing collateral, proprietary market research and proceedings from Study Tours and conferences.^[1]

Sponsors

The GBA is sponsored by:

• The Inter-American Development Bank and Multilateral Investment Fund
• The International Finance Corporation
• Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women
• The MetLife Foundation
• McGraw Hill Financial
• Westpac

History and Leadership

The Global Banking Alliance was established in 2000 by a network of banks. In November 2012, Inez Murray was appointed as its chief executive officer. She previously worked for Women's World Banking. GBA is also guided by a governing board.

References

1. Global Banking Alliance for Women, retrieved 2014-06-16
2. Harvard Business Review Blog: Global Rise of Female Entrepreneurs, retrieved 2014-06-27
3. WestPac Women's Market, retrieved 2014-06-27
4. "BLC Bank Women's Empowerment Initiative". Retrieved 2014-07-05.
5. "The Global Compact: Human Rights and Business Dilemmas Forum". Retrieved 2014-07-05.

External links

• Official Site
• World Bank: Women's Access to Financial Services