Female domestic workers in Bangladesh remain largely excluded from formal financial services despite widespread access to mobile phones and prior exposure to mobile money. This study evaluates a randomized intervention that combined digital financial services (DFS) training with general financial literacy for 563 female domestic workers registered on a digital gig platform. The training reached 81% of targeted workers and significantly improved financial literacy when paired with the option to switch to a more flexible mobile financial services provider. The intervention substantially shifted savings into formal and mobile money accounts, nearly tripling mobile money savings. It also increased hours worked on the platform and wage earnings paid digitally, without affecting intra-household transfers or spousal pressure. The findings show that tailored DFS and financial literacy training can strengthen women’s control over earnings and expand economic opportunities, with strong potential for scale in South Asia’s informal sector.
Author: Malde, Bansi; Rahanaz, Maliha; and Wahhaj, Zaki
Type: Policy Brief
Publisher: BIGD
Year: 2026
