115 years of International Women’s Day: why giving creates progress

This year marks 115 years of International Women’s Day. Yet in fintech, access to capital and leadership opportunity remains uneven. As a fintech CEO, I see how small decisions about visibility and trust can accelerate — or stall — capable people.

In fintech, we spend a lot of time talking about growth. Growth in revenue. Growth in product capability. Growth in market reach. But growth is also shaped by something less visible: how opportunity is distributed inside organizations and across the industry.

The 2026 theme, Give to Gain, resonates with me because it reflects how progress actually happens in business. It happens when leaders invest in people. When they offer responsibility slightly earlier than expected. When they give visibility to someone who has earned it but may not yet have asked for it.

In fast-moving sectors like fintech, those decisions carry weight.

Why this matters in fintech

Fintech is built on decision-making. We design systems that influence cash flow, risk, lending, and capital allocation. The quality of those decisions affects businesses at scale.

Research consistently shows that diversity strengthens decision quality and performance. McKinsey’s Diversity Wins report found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity in executive teams are 25% more likely to outperform on profitability (McKinsey & Company). Organizations combining strong gender and ethnic diversity are 36% more likely to outperform peers.

Diverse teams make better business decisions up to 87% of the time (Harvard Business Review). In fintech, where strategic calls shape products, compliance structures, and risk models, stronger decisions translate directly into stronger outcomes.

Public venture data indicates that startups founded solely by women receive roughly 2% of total global venture capital funding, highlighting continued disparities in capital allocation across the industry (World Economic Forum).

These numbers highlight structural realities within the industry. They also point to opportunity. Fintech thrives on identifying inefficiencies and improving systems. Leadership and access to opportunity are no different.

Opportunity compounds

In high-growth companies, visibility often determines trajectory. The person invited to present at a board meeting gains exposure. The operator trusted with a complex initiative develops faster. The founder who receives early investor backing accelerates momentum.

I’ve seen how quickly confidence grows when someone is trusted with responsibility. I’ve also seen how easily talent can stall when opportunity is uneven.

Give to Gain reflects a simple leadership truth. When you invest in someone’s development, the return is rarely isolated to that individual. It strengthens the team, improves execution, and builds resilience.

• Giving opportunity builds capability.

• Giving visibility builds confidence.

• Giving direct feedback builds performance.

None of these actions are dramatic. They are practical. And over time, they shape organizations.

Culture shapes access

At Chaser, our values of candidness, care, courage, and celebration influence how we operate.

• Candidness means conversations about performance and development are clear and direct. People grow when expectations are transparent.

• Care shapes how we support one another. Ambition and support are not mutually exclusive. High standards and empathy can exist together.

• Courage shows up when we back potential, challenge assumptions, and make decisions that expand leadership pathways.

• Celebration reinforces contribution. Recognition makes impact visible and encourages others to step forward.

As fintech companies scale, systems formalize. Hiring frameworks mature. Promotion processes evolve. If those systems are not reviewed intentionally, patterns emerge that may not reflect the full range of available talent.

That is why leadership attention matters.

What fintech leaders can do now

International Women’s Day is a useful moment to pause, but progress depends on what happens next.

Leaders in fintech can take measurable steps:

1. Review who receives high-visibility projects and external representation.
2. Examine promotion and progression data across teams.
3. Move beyond informal mentorship toward structured sponsorship.
4. Encourage balanced debate in product and strategy discussions.
5. Track representation alongside financial metrics as the organization grows.

These actions align with how fintech already operates. We measure growth, conversion, and retention. Applying the same discipline to opportunity allocation makes sense.

A practical leadership standard

Give to Gain is not about symbolic gestures. It reflects a standard of leadership.

• Investing in people strengthens the organization.
• Broadening access to opportunity expands the leadership pipeline.
• Encouraging diverse perspectives improves decisions.

Fintech will continue to evolve quickly. Artificial intelligence, embedded finance, and new regulatory landscapes will reshape the industry again. The leaders who shape that future will be those who build strong, capable, and inclusive teams.

If you lead a team, allocate capital, or influence hiring decisions, you shape access to opportunity. That responsibility is ongoing.

International Women’s Day provides a reminder to approach that responsibility thoughtfully.

Happy International Women’s Day.