Financial literacy is crucial in today’s complex economic environment, as it helps us to think more responsibly about money and make more informed decisions. Unfortunately, for many, this knowledge can be hard to access.
According to the World Bank, nearly two billion people lack the financial education to improve their lives. And women and young people, especially, face numerous barriers that impede financial inclusion.
In Turkiye, women continue to face barriers to financial literacy and inclusion, and the country has one of the widest financial inclusion gaps between men and women globally. While access to financial services has improved over the years, women are still significantly less likely than men to own a bank account or participate in the workforce, limiting their financial independence and economic opportunities.
Improving financial literacy can help women make better financial decisions, prepare for unexpected financial challenges, and create opportunities to invest, start a business, or better support their families.
This is where Fingreen, QNET’s signature financial literacy initiative, comes in.
Improving Knowledge
Launched in 2022, FinGreen takes a ground-up, comprehensive approach to financial education geared towards empowering people to take charge of their lives.
Essentially, as one of the world’s leading direct-selling companies and a business focused on developing micro-entrepreneurs, QNET understands that a better future starts with education and inclusion. As such, we strive to address the financial challenges young people and women face through workshops, collaborations with local experts and peer learning.
In Türkiye, this commitment first took shape via a strategic partnership in 2022 with the Foundation for the Support of Women’s Work (KEDV). Between October 2022 and March 2023, 125 women were trained in areas such as personal budgeting and household finance management.
Following that, we expanded our reach in 2024 by joining hands with leading non-governmental organisation Tuvana Foundation for the Education of Children Willing to Read (TOCEV).
Here are some of the highlights of QNET’s FinGreen in Türkiye:
Impacting Lives and Improving Financial Decision-Making
1. 2022: FinGreen launches in Turkiye
Our inaugural year was marked by two special training sessions in Istanbul in October and December 2022.
Financial education in Turkiye is reportedly below par, with many individuals and households having limited cash and savings. Additionally, only 54% of women have bank accounts compared with 83% of men. Our programme was specifically tailored to address the obstacles women face when establishing a business.
Discussing the sessions, which saw 30 women attend, Irmak Sutcu, QNET Turkiye’s marketing and communications manager, emphasised the unique challenges that hinder women’s ability to achieve financial sustainability.
She said: “From wage gaps to cultural stereotypes and systemic barriers, financial challenges impact women differently than men. Many women struggle to achieve financial independence and the capacity to sustain a livelihood well into the future, which further underscores the importance of our FinGreen programme to educate women on financial literacy.”
2. 2023: Commemorating Women’s Day with empowerment through financial literacy
Building on the first year’s success, more sessions were conducted in 2023, to reinforce key principles.
These events were conducted on International Women’s Day in March in Mardin, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Ankara and Izmir , and sought to emphasise practical applications, such as monitoring cash flow, evaluating small investments, and assessing economic risks.
Participants were also taught to apply the techniques they’d learnt, while group discussions encouraged the sharing of personal experiences.
3. 2024: FinGreen spreads further in Turkiye
Following on from 2023, the scope of the FinGreen collaboration was widened in 2024 in partnership with TOCEV to include both face-to-face and online sessions.
This approach allowed for geographical barriers to be overcome, with women and young people able to participate in the programme from their cities and regions. Importantly, too, it underlined FinGreen’s primary objective of providing financial education to people from all backgrounds.
The aim of FinGreen programmes has always been to help disadvantaged individuals develop their entrepreneurial skills, take more active roles in their existing enterprises, and become effective managers of personal and household budgets. The trainings provide participants with financial knowledge and skills, enabling them to increase their economic independence and step boldly into entrepreneurship. In this process, we enable women to discover their entrepreneurial potential and gain a stronger place in their careers.
Notwithstanding the above, it was especially gratifying to hear participants say that they had gained confidence thanks to the sessions and had seen for themselves how the practical skills acquired could be immediately implemented in their daily lives.
Safiye Acet, for one, said that she learnt about managing household expenses and that the knowledge she gained about savings inspired a feeling of independence. “It is a great pleasure to spend your earnings, and as women, this makes us feel more free. I think it is very important for women to have financial freedom,” she said.
Homemaker Hatice Guzel, meanwhile, shared how the training empowered her to be more assertive. Another participant, Necla Gumus, said she was inspired to help her friends and family be more aware of money and make informed decisions.
Noted Gumus: “I gained awareness on issues such as savings and budgeting in the training. I will raise awareness of everyone in my family about budgeting.”
4. 2026: FinGreen Continues to Reach More Communities
In 2026, QNET Turkiye, in collaboration with TOCEV, has delivered four training sessions, including one held online. The final session of the year is scheduled for September and will also be conducted online.
Through these sessions, the programme has already reached 350 participants, with even more expected to join after the final training in September.
We also met with members of the media to share the latest updates on the FinGreen programme and reflect on its progress throughout 2026.
Effecting Sustainable Change
Since establishing itself in the country in 2010, QNET has made a tangible impact on Turkiye and its people. We have provided a platform for budding entrepreneurs to build sales businesses and played an active part in social development initiatives across the nation.
FinGreen, however, underlines QNET’s philosophy of RYTHM, or “Raise Yourself To Help Mankind”, and aims to foster a world that is more financially equal and just.
This article was originally published in January 2025. It has been refreshed for relevance.
