Why do so many fintechs sell more to men?

Women are some of the best customers in fintech.

They repay better.
They cancel loans less often.
They become powerful brand ambassadors.

So why do so many companies still sell more to men?

On International Women’s Day, I want to highlight something I wish more companies were willing to do: look honestly at their own systems to find hidden bias.

That’s why it’s been such a privilege to work with the gender team at M-KOPA this past year.

They asked themselves a great question. If women are great customers, why aren’t we reaching more of them?

Women still make up only 40% of customers.

So the team looked deeper.

The data revealed that 70% of sales agents sell more phones to men than to women. Agents often felt that conversations with women were ‘more difficult’.

Let's reframe that.

Women aren't more difficult: they are DIFFERENT. So we should approach them differently.

Together we designed two gender-sensitive interventions:

designing a more inclusive brand and sales experience for female customers

1. Sales training

A course that helps agents rethink assumptions about female customers, demonstrates women-centered sales conversations, and shows how phones support women in their daily lives and businesses. The goal is simple: help agents sell solutions, not just features.

2. Sales kiosks

Small design changes that make a big difference. Shade and privacy. A chair where customers can sit and ask questions. Toys for children so the whole family feels welcome. And a more professional setup for agents to build trust.

The results are promising.

After testing the approach with 1,000 sales agents, the program is now ready to scale.

Because selling to women isn’t harder.
It’s smarter.

When women have access to smartphones, their families, businesses, and communities grow.