Women in Mozambique continue to hold fewer than half the bank accounts of men, despite progress in financial inclusion over the past decade, according to Bank of Mozambique (BdM) data for the first quarter of 2026.
Central bank indicators show that as of March, there were 21.5 bank accounts per 100 adult women, compared with 44.2 accounts per 100 adult men — a gap of more than 20 percentage points between the two sexes.
Although the disparity remains wide, women’s access to banking services has improved in recent years. In 2017, there were just 14.9 bank accounts per 100 adult women, while the figure for men stood at 35.2 accounts per 100 adult males.
The access gap is narrower in mobile financial services. In the first quarter of 2026, accounts held with Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs) stood at 113 per 100 adult women, against 140 per 100 adult men.
Growth has been significant since 2020, when there were 48 mobile money accounts per 100 adult women and 84 per 100 adult men. Over six years, those figures rose to 113 and 140 accounts per 100 adults, respectively.
BdM data further shows that mobile financial services have achieved substantially greater penetration than traditional banking. In March, there were 125.8 electronic money accounts per 100 adults, while bank accounts corresponded to 33.4 per 100 adults.
In absolute terms, the number of electronic money accounts recorded a slight decline in the first quarter, falling to 25.3 million, while bank accounts rose to 6.45 million.
Mozambique currently has three electronic money operators — M-Pesa, e-Mola, and M-Kesh — which provide mobile-based financial services and represent one of the primary channels for expanding financial inclusion in the country. The banking system comprises 15 banks.
At the end of the first quarter, the BdM counted 467,622 electronic money agents across the country, an increase of 21,018 from the 446,604 recorded in December 2025. These agents enable transactions such as bill payments, transfers, and cash withdrawals.
The traditional bank branch network maintained coverage in 128 districts, equivalent to 82.6% of the national total, unchanged from the end of 2025. Branch density stood at 9.13 per 10,000 square kilometres, virtually unchanged from year-end.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/09/03/economia/banca/bdm-mulheres-tem-menos-de-metade-das-contas-bancarias-do-que-os-homens/
