Jakarta. Wealthtech app Pluang is reaffirming its commitment to expanding financial access for women as Indonesia celebrates Kartini Day on April 21.

National heroine Raden Adjeng Kartini has become the symbol of women's empowerment. Following  Kartini’s spirit of women empowerment, Pluang to this day has made efforts also to promote this cause on many occasions. For instance, the startup has vowed to democratize investment and expand financial access to people, including women, through various ranges of investment instruments.

“Investment is a pivotal tool to generate wealth and reach financial freedom. It is crucial for women to have equal access to this opportunity. Women oftentimes face unique challenges in investing such as wage gap and a career break that can affect their ability to save money and invest for the future,” Kartika Dewi, Head of Corporate Communications at Pluang, said at the Microsoft-hosted Women Just Wanna Have FUNds conference on Feb. 17. 

Kartika called for the need to provide women access to education and sufficient resources for them to navigate the investment world. Pluang revealed the number of women investors in its platform has jumped twofold in the past two years, even reaching 107 percent. The number of first-time women investors also saw a threefold increase. 

Pluang pledges to support women’s growth in business and technology. This aligns with the 2023 International Women’s Day theme, namely “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality”. 

The company is also encouraging women to partake in the financial industry. Boston Consulting Group data shows that women’s representation in the tech industry only stands at 32 percent. Women also only represent 3 percent in higher positions (startup founders and capital venture investors). 

According to Kartika, more women are now also taking leadership roles in the financial industry over the past years. Nevertheless,  more efforts are needed to make sure that everyone is equally represented.

“To promote women’s inclusion in fintech, it is important to formulate mutually agreed solutions and recommendations. Through collaboration and sharing best practices in involving women, stakeholders must work together to identify and address the barriers for women in accessing digital financial services,” Kartika said at an @america conference on women in fintech last month.

“Our collaborative efforts should ensure equal access for women to financial services that they need to thrive in today’s digital world. Because if you educate a man, you educate an individual. But if you educate a woman, you educate a nation,” she added.