Building Women’s Financial Capability: A Path Toward Transformation

An expert in gender and financial inclusion, Julia Arnold serves as a consultant for CFI. From 2020-2022, she worked as CFI’s Senior Director of Gender and Financial Inclusion. Julia has more than 12 years of experience in inclusive finance, leading implementation and research projects across a range of customer- and provider-focused topics such as digital financial inclusion, financial capability, and microsavings. Julia brings an understanding of the enabling environment needed to catalyze real change for women’s economic lives, as well as a deep understanding of the microeconomic constraints to women’s empowerment. Prior to CFI, Julia was Financial Inclusion and Livelihood Specialist at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) where she led mixed-methods research and primary data collection for evaluations and gender analyses, as well as curriculum development for youth and adults, focused on household dynamics and livelihoods. Before this, she was a consultant working with a diverse range of clients such as MetLife Foundation, CGAP, the World Bank, CFI, and others. Julia holds a master’s degree in international development from American University in Washington, DC.

As Vice President of Consumer Protection and Strategic Industry Engagement, Jayshree leads CFI’s consumer protection research agenda and partnership strategy, contributing to a diverse global portfolio. Her work focuses on emerging risks at the intersection of technology and financial services, with a particular emphasis on human–technology interactions and their implications for consumer protection.

In her role, Jayshree oversees two flagship convenings: Financial Inclusion Week (FIW) and the Responsible Finance Forum (RFF). FIW is the sector’s largest virtual event, which drew more than 3,500 participants from over 140 countries in 2025. RFF is a global platform advancing responsible finance and addressing consumer protection challenges, held annually alongside the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) meetings.

With over two decades of experience spanning structured finance, innovative business models, consumer research, and policy engagement, Jayshree is deeply committed to advancing financial inclusion and economic development worldwide. Prior to joining CFI, she spent nearly a decade as an independent consultant, advising leading global institutions including CGAP, the World Bank, JICA, and ITAD on customer-centric approaches and barriers faced by low-income populations in accessing and using formal financial services. Earlier in her career, Jayshree was part of the founding team at IFMR (now Dvara Trust) in India, where she led the country’s first mezzanine fund for microfinance, which later evolved into an alternative investment fund. She began her professional journey at ICICI Bank, building a strong foundation in finance.

In addition to her work at CFI, Jayshree is a Senior Policy Fellow at the Leir Institute at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where she focuses on financial inclusion challenges affecting vulnerable populations, including migrants and refugees. She has also served as adjunct faculty at the Fletcher School, teaching decision analysis for business. Jayshree is a recipient of the Chevening Fellowship for Leadership from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, completed at King’s College, London.

She earned an MA in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, an MBA from the Management Development Institute in Gurgaon, and an undergraduate degree in Mathematics from Mumbai University.