From Access to Empowerment: Digital Finance and Women's Socioeconomic Advancement in Bangladesh

This study examines the impact of digital financial inclusion (DFI) on women’s empowerment in Bangladesh using a mixed-methods approach that integrates econometric analysis and qualitative insights. Primary survey data from 500 women and secondary data from the Global Findex and Bangladesh Bank were analyzed using an Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model to capture both short- and long-run dynamics. The findings reveal that DFI significantly enhances women’s empowerment by improving economic independence, decision-making capacity, social mobility, and self-confidence. A one-unit increase in digital inclusion corresponds to a 48.7% rise in the empowerment index in the long run. The results also show that digital literacy, income, and the presence of female mobile money agents strengthen the positive relationship between DFI and empowerment outcomes. However, persistent challenges such as limited digital skills, gender norms, and fraud risks constrain broader empowerment gains. Qualitative evidence supports the quantitative results, highlighting that DFI offers privacy, financial autonomy, and entrepreneurial opportunities for women. The study concludes that inclusive digital finance, complemented by literacy programs and gender-sensitive product design, can serve as a powerful driver of women’s empowerment and sustainable economic development in Bangladesh.