India has made great strides in financial inclusion. According to Global Findex 2021, bank account ownership in the country has grown to 78 per cent. Delving deeper into gender-disaggregated data, however, reveals alarming facts. Women are 13 percentage points less likely to use their accounts for digital payments. And while women tend to save more money than men, only 28 per cent use savings accounts. If a woman applies for a loan to buy a two-wheeler, she is likely to be asked to bring along a male guarantor. This is commonplace in rural settings for banks to exercise caution when
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