Women, fintech, and financial inclusion: lessons from the Brazilian context

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the potential role of fintechs in advancing women’s financial inclusion in Brazil and identifies key empirical and regulatory gaps. Design/methodology/approach The study draws on a qualitative and critical review of secondary sources, including publicly available data, academic literature, regulatory frameworks and institutional reports, to develop a conceptual and diagnostic analysis. Findings The analysis reveals that while fintechs have experienced significant growth in Brazil, the existing data remain highly aggregated and do not allow for a gender-disaggregated assessment of their effects. This prevents any rigorous evaluation of whether fintechs are, in practice, advancing gender equality and women’s financial inclusion in the country. By making this gap visible and situating it within a broader critical framework, this paper contributes to both future empirical research and evidence-based policymaking on the topic. Research limitations/implications Available data are not sufficiently disaggregated to determine whether fintech growth has translated into greater gender equality, raising questions about the actual impact of these innovations on women’s inclusion. Originality/value It highlights the paradox between the country’s advances in financial digitalization and the continued barriers faced by women, stressing the need for more sex-disaggregated data and further research to evaluate the real effects of fintechs on gender-inclusive finance.