Karachi, Pakistan \u2013 British Asian Trust\u00a0joins a cohort of 50 community organizations around the world, receiving $500,000 to accelerate youth employability through the Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge.<\/p>\n
Through this initiative, the British Asian Trust will support greater financial inclusion for\u00a0low-income\u00a0young entrepreneurs across Pakistan, helping unlock business growth and job creation in underserved urban communities. Tailored support will help 300 young\u00a0entrepreneurs build the skills and confidence needed to become finance-ready, with at least 90 percent expected to access external financial\u00a0products and services. With improved access to capital, 243 entrepreneurs are anticipated to grow their revenues by 25 percent. Alongside this, the project will bring together lenders and key actors from the enterprise ecosystem to\u00a0collaboratively\u00a0address\u00a0the systemic barriers that young entrepreneurs face in accessing finance.<\/p>\n
The Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge provided $25million\u00a0in catalytic funding to support community organizations around the world to develop and launch innovative employment solutions for\u00a0low-income youth. “Pakistan’s greatest asset\u00a0is its young population,\u00a0but this asset can only generate growth if young people have access to real opportunity. Talent is not our constraint. Access is. Through the Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge, this $500,000 grant to the British Asian Trust will help expand pathways to skills, entrepreneurship, and\u00a0access to financial products and services. Our\u00a0collaboration\u00a0is rooted in shared ambition, and together we are investing in long-term economic mobility and the future of Pakistan.” said Habib Yousuf, Citi Country Officer & Banking Head, Citi Pakistan.<\/p>\n
“This recognition from the Citi Foundation reflects a shared belief in the talent, ambition, and potential of young entrepreneurs across Pakistan,” said Kamyla Marvi\u00a0Tapal, Executive Director Pakistan, British Asian Trust. “By widening access to finance and working closely with lenders and ecosystem partners, we aim to support\u00a0low-income youth\u00a0to grow their ideas into sustainable livelihoods. This initiative goes beyond providing loans, it is about expanding inclusive opportunities and enabling young people to contribute to economic growth within their own communities.”<\/p>\n
For more information, including the complete list of grant recipients, please visit\u202fcitifoundation.com\/challenge<\/span><\/a>\u202fand follow the impact these organizations are making at #InnovationChallenge on social media.<\/p>\n The Citi Foundation<\/a> works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. We invest in efforts that increase financial inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and reimagine approaches to building economically vibrant communities. The Citi Foundation’s “More than Philanthropy” approach leverages the enormous expertise of Citi and its people to fulfill our mission and drive thought leadership and innovation. For more information, visit\u202fwww.citifoundation.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n Media contacts<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n [Maha Abdullah]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n \u00a0<\/span>[maha.abdullah@citi.com]<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Karachi, Pakistan – British Asian Trust joins a cohort of 50 community organizations around the world, receiving $500,000 to accelerate youth employability through the Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge. Through this initiative, the British Asian Trust will support greater financial inclusion for low-income young entrepreneurs across Pakistan, helping unlock business growth and job creation in underserved urban […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6596,"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\tAbout The Citi Foundation<\/b><\/h2>\n
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