Case Study
Mastercard Centre for Inclusive Growth
In 2024, Frontier Markets, in collaboration with Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and Airtel Payments Bank, launched She Leads Bharat: Udyam, to connect women entrepreneurs with banking and credit services. In its first phase, 15,000 women micro-entrepreneurs in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh joined the Meri Saheli platform, with 10,000 of them trained as Airtel Payments Bank business correspondents to deliver banking services in underserved areas.
By empowering women as banking agents, the initiative brings essential financial services—such as savings accounts, payments, pensions, and insurance—directly to rural communities through trusted local figures. She Leads Bharat: Udyam is envisioned as a digital-first model that helps women-owned businesses increase income while expanding access to credit and financial tools in rural markets. Already, Sahelis facilitate thousands of digital transactions monthly, enabling rural customers to deposit money, pay bills, or apply for loans without traveling to distant towns.
Solution
During 2024–25, we piloted a blended finance model with 360 ONE Foundation to support first-time borrowers. Under this scheme, 2,000 women in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh received zero-interest, zero-collateral loans to expand their businesses. The Meri Saheli App tracks their repayments and transactions, building credit histories for women new to formal banking. Early results demonstrate strong repayment rates and notable business growth.
Impact
Through digital finance, accessible credit, and improved financial literacy, She Leads Bharat is creating an inclusive rural economy where women play a central role as empowered change-makers. Women are able to break generational cycles of childhood marriage, exclusion from education, abuse and neglect and instead, are earning an income and building businesses, enabling them to better educate their children, make safer choices for heating and lighting, with access to clean energy solutions, and to invest in their long-term futures.
Our Impact
Economic Transformation delivers Social Outcomes