In remarks accompanying the release of its second Women’s Financial Inclusion Scorecard, the National Bank of Ethiopia called on the financial sector to accelerate women’s financial inclusion and leadership. The scorecard, which now covers all 32 banks, provides its first year-on-year assessment and shows broad-based progress, with nearly two-thirds of participating institutions improving their performance, while persistent gender gaps remain. The scorecard is a policy monitoring and benchmarking tool that measures institutions across three areas: women in leadership and the workforce, women’s use of financial products, and financial innovation for women. It is intended to support benchmarking, peer learning and evidence-based action. The governor said expanding women’s access to finance and advancing women’s leadership are essential to broader economic inclusion. The National Bank of Ethiopia also marked the graduation of 1,000 participants from the NEWFin Young Professionals Program, which it described as part of efforts to strengthen the pipeline of future women leaders across the financial sector.