DEAD SEA — The UN Development Programme (UNDP), as part of its participation in the Jordan FinTech Festival 2026, highlighted the need to move beyond access to digital financial services towards their sustained use by women and small businesses.

 

Speaking to The Jordan Times on the sidelines of the festival, Director of the Security and Risk Management Project and the FinTech and Digital Financial Technology Project in Jordan Masnat Al Hiyari said a UNDP workshop held in cooperation with the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) focused on identifying barriers facing women in the Jordan Valley and developing financial solutions tailored to their needs.

 

The Jordan FinTech Festival 2026 was held at the Dead Sea area on September 23 and 24.

 

The workshop brought together women entrepreneurs, business leaders, home-based businesses, community representatives and financial sector stakeholders to discuss barriers to accessing and using financial services in rural and remote areas.

 

Hiyari said the first session focused on listening to women’s experiences and identifying the challenges they face, while the second explored possible solutions.

 

The aim was to develop a “human-centred” financial product based on women’s actual needs rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, she said.

 

From access to active use

 

Hiyari said UNDP has been working in the Jordan Valley for around three years, initially focusing on raising awareness of digital financial services before supporting the use of e-wallets and exploring financial products that could better serve local communities.

 

The work has since expanded to examining how products such as light business accounts can be tailored to women running small and home-based businesses.

 

“What we learned from today’s workshop is that Jordan is building a strong digital infrastructure,” Hiyari said. “The challenge is that we don’t just want access, we want sustainable and active use.”

 

According to CBJ data cited by Hiyari, 88 per cent of banking transactions in Jordan are conducted through electronic channels, compared with 12 per cent through traditional channels.

 

Growing digital payments

 

CBJ indicators cited by Hiyari also showed the expanding reach of Jordan’s payment infrastructure.

 

The Kingdom has 109,301 payment points, with 74 per cent equipped with QR-code technology.

 

CliQ transactions reached JD26.3 billion in one year, reflecting the growing use of instant payments between individuals.

 

Addressing barriers

 

Despite the expansion of digital financial services, Hiyari said women in rural and remote areas continue to face barriers to their effective use.

 

The UNDP-CBJ dialogue identified challenges including gaps in digital connectivity and infrastructure, difficulties accessing cash, high fees charged by service points, and concerns over the costs and requirements associated with formalising businesses.

 

Participants also highlighted limited awareness of financial products, including light business accounts, as well as concerns over personal accounts being frozen when they are repeatedly used for commercial activities.

 

Hiyari said such challenges underline the need for financial products that reflect the realities of women operating small and home-based businesses.

 

Measuring financial inclusion

 

Hiyari said Jordan’s progress in digital finance should ultimately be measured by how effectively people use digital services in their everyday economic activities.

 

“People understand this service, and they have started to trust it, but they are hesitating to use it daily in their small and medium-sized projects,” she said.

 

“The true success story of digital finance in Jordan will be written when we measure success not by the number of accounts opened, but by the number of women and young people who use these digital financial services with confidence,” Hiyari said.