Montreal’s Fintech Cadence, formerly FormFintech, is announcing the launch of its Women’s Mentorship Program ahead of International Women’s Day.

Founded in 2016, Fintech Cadence offers training and mentorship programs for entrepreneurs developing new technologies for the financial services sector. It prioritizes innovation, diversity and working directly with banks, insurance companies and regulators.

Fintech Cadence said it has designed programs to help Montreal “become a hub of Fintech innovation and investment.” That work includes Quebec’s “only Fintech certification program, the Building Blocks Fintech Certificate.”

Now the organization is trying to enable more female entrepreneurs to break down barriers and succeed in Fintech.

“We have always gone out of our way to encourage women to participate in our programs. Whether it be our Ascension pre-incubation program, the Formathon every spring or any of the others. Because of our efforts, participation rates for women in our programs are more than four times the industry average” said Geraldine Holliday, head of digital product at Fintech Cadence.

The organization said it is now “enabling our stakeholders to better understand the needs, culture and regulations they’re facing when delivering technology solutions to financial institutions.”

“Fintech startups are being created frequently to address industry and consumer needs, women still have low engagement in this sector,” added Holliday. “Fintech is still in a relatively early stage and we have the opportunity now to increase female engagement through identifying mentors, supporting talented individuals and facilitating knowledge transfers – but we must act now!”