The news: Twin Cities–based Bridgewater Bank, known for its focus on business banking, has been building its Banking for Women initiative since 2019 to position itself as the go-to bank for businesswomen, per The Business Journals.
The plan: According to the bank’s website, it:
- Offers personalized service tailored to female entrepreneurs and decision-makers.
- Has expert female bankers who understand women’s unique professional challenges.
- Organizes exclusive networking events for women to meet others who have faced similar obstacles in businesses.
Has it worked so far? The bank told The Business Journals the initiative has helped bring in customers and deposits.
These efforts also helped the bank diversify its customer base and expand past its niche in commercial real estate (CRE).
Given the ongoing CRE crisis, this likely helped offset losses.
Our take: Similar to Wells Fargo’s strategy to build relationships with Latino communities, a targeted effort to strengthen ties with a demographic that has growing economic power can help financial institutions set themselves up for future success and diversification.
Don’t forget: A significant portion of US household wealth will be passed to women during the great wealth transfer. Banks without a female-centric strategy will miss out on this growth opportunity.
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