Can having access to bank accounts, participating in financial literacy training and receiving SMS reminders increase savings and empower women to have a greater say in household finances? This seminar will discuss one of the first large-scale randomised control trials in the Pacific, in partnership with the Bank of Papua New Guinea. Half of the 80 villages in Wewak district, East Sepik province, were randomly assigned to receive a comprehensive financial inclusion program. The program was quite popular with 25% of adults in treatment wards attending training and 70% of participants opening bank accounts (more than half of which previously did not own a bank account). However, more than 80% of bank accounts were never used and the researchers found no evidence of the program having a lasting impact. These results draw into question the value of efforts around the developing world to 'bank the unbanked'.