Despite an overall positive trend, the gender gap in financial inclusion remains stubbornly persistent in some parts of the world. To understand what gives rise to this gender gap and how it evolves over time, CGAP and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have been independently analyzing Global Findex data to identify drivers, patterns, and trends. This blog series presents the results of those analyses – first, with an overview of factors associated with financial inclusion for young women and men across low-income economies, then with a deep-dive into three East African countries, and finally by reviewing our findings on the dynamics of young women’s financial exclusion. Together, these analyses show that the period between 15 and 24 years of age is a pivotal time for financial services adoption – potentially presenting a high-impact opportunity to close the gender gap.