{"id":6048,"date":"2025-10-21T16:17:06","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T11:17:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pkfin.kotenterprises.dev\/?p=6048"},"modified":"2025-10-21T16:17:06","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T11:17:06","slug":"womens-bank-accounts-in-pakistan-surge-to-37-million-as-gender-gap-narrows-governor-sbp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pkfin.kotenterprises.dev\/?p=6048","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s Bank Accounts in Pakistan Surge to 37 Million as Gender Gap Narrows: Governor SBP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Governor State Bank of Pakistan<\/a> (SBP), Jameel Ahmad, has announced a substantial rise in women\u2019s financial inclusion in Pakistan, with the number of active bank accounts held by women increasing from 20 million to 37 million since the launch of the Banking on Equality<\/em> policy in 2021.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington D.C. during the 2025 Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group, Governor Ahmad highlighted that the gender gap in financial inclusion has narrowed notably \u2014 dropping from 39% to 30% over the same period.<\/p>\n

Addressing a session titled \u201cCapital to Scale: Women Entrepreneurs as Job Creators,\u201d<\/em> Ahmad underscored the vital role of women entrepreneurs in driving inclusive and sustainable economic growth, particularly in developing economies. He credited Pakistan\u2019s forward-looking policy reforms, especially the SBP\u2019s Banking on Equality<\/em> initiative \u2014 the country\u2019s first comprehensive gender-mainstreaming framework in the financial sector \u2014 as a major catalyst behind this progress.<\/p>\n

Since its inception, the policy has significantly expanded women\u2019s access to finance and contributed to broader economic participation. Female borrowers in the microfinance sector have increased by over 200%, while women\u2019s SME and agricultural financing portfolios have doubled. Moreover, banks have hired more than 14,600 women over the past three years, further strengthening institutional diversity across the financial sector.<\/p>\n

Governor Ahmad revealed that SBP is now finalizing the second phase of the Banking on Equality<\/em> policy, which will focus on integrating digital solutions, business profiling, and remote financing channels to support women-led micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).<\/p>\n

He also highlighted SBP\u2019s recent adoption of the WE-Finance Code<\/em>, a global initiative led by the World Bank and international partners to reduce gender gaps in MSME financing. SBP, along with 22 banks in Pakistan, has committed to the Code \u2014 marking a major step toward building a unified national coalition for women\u2019s financial inclusion.<\/p>\n

Reaffirming the central bank\u2019s commitment to gender equality and women\u2019s empowerment, Governor Ahmad emphasized that women\u2019s entrepreneurship remains a cornerstone of Pakistan\u2019s inclusive economic growth agenda. He called for continued investment in gender-responsive national strategies, women-friendly industry environments, and capacity-building initiatives to ensure sustainable and equitable economic progress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Jameel Ahmad, has announced a substantial rise in women’s financial inclusion in Pakistan, with the number of active bank accounts held by women increasing from 20 million to 37 million since the launch of the Banking on Equality policy in 2021. Speaking at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post","format-standard"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t