WNAM REPORT: Moving beyond isolated interventions toward system-level integration, Karandaaz Pakistan has intensified its push to embed gender equity across the national digital and financial ecosystem. Through its Women Economic and Digital Inclusion (WEDI) initiative, Karandaaz brought together the country’s leading financial institutions, regulators, and development partners for a strategic forum titled “Driving Systemic Change for Women’s Economic Inclusion.” The platform served to reinforce institutional commitments and showcase targeted interventions designed to eliminate gender-related economic disparities.
The forum highlighted the critical need to address Pakistan’s persistent gender gaps, where female labour force participation remains below 25%, and women account for a disproportionately low share of formal financial account ownership at 14% as per the Karandaaz Financial Inclusion Survey (K-FIS) 2024. To advance national financial inclusion priorities, the event featured the formal presentation of the organisation’s evolving institutional Gender Strategy by Samia Salik, Gender Lead at Karandaaz, alongside strategic project announcements and partner spotlights.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Carol Coye Benson, Board Member, Karandaaz Pakistan, emphasised the organisation’s vision for gender mainstreaming:
“Financial inclusion is a powerful driver of economic resilience. Through Karandaaz, we are working to build digital financial systems that are inclusive by design. By building interoperable digital pathways and intentionally designing systems that serve women, we can unlock immense untapped economic potential. Providing women with reliable, digital access to financial tools is key to strengthening both families and the broader economy, by bringing underserved women into the formal financial fold”
A key milestone was the formal signing ceremony for the Financial Inclusion for Women Challenge (FIWC) Round 5, launching field partnerships with Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL) and Manzil Organization. Backed by Karandaaz, MMBL will onboard 50,000 women working in the agriculture sector by offering them digital banking services via its Dost app, combining financial literacy with free healthcare and savings products. Concurrently, another partner, Manzil Organization will empower 9,000 rural women in Balochistan by allotting farmland, agricultural kits, and establishing dedicated community markets in Naseerabad.
The Women Ventures Showcase highlighted a strategic partnership to close the financing gap for educational SMEs. The initiative was presented by Shumaila Rifaqat, Director of Innovation Investments at Karandaaz, and Kamran Azeem, CEO of Taleem Finance.
This collaboration targets the growth capital needs of low-cost private schools that are currently unserved by commercial banks. By deploying tailored capital, the initiative aims to expand classroom capacity and upgrade school infrastructure. These improvements will create safer learning environments, directly boosting retention rates for young girls.
A panel discussion featured prominent leaders from the public, private, and development sectors to explore sustainable and inclusive economic opportunities for women. Moderated by Gender and Policy Expert Aysha Shujaat, the dialogue featured Aamir Hafeez Ibrahim (CEO & President of JazzWorld, Chairman of Mobilink Bank & JazzCash), Musadaq Zulqarnain (Chairman, Interloop Ltd. and Board Member, Karandaaz Pakistan) Jamshed M. Kazi (Country Representative, UN Women Pakistan), and Sana Masood (Senior Public Sector Specialist, Asian Development Bank), who critically evaluated regulatory frameworks and model systems to sustain ecosystem alignment.
In her keynote address, Dr Elena Mylona, Counsellor and Group Head, Economics and Trade, at the British High Commission in Islamabad, highlighted the role of international development synergy, stating “Sustaining the momentum of women-inclusive growth requires institutionalising changes across markets and financial systems. Strategic alignments between ecosystem builders like Karandaaz and development partners are pivotal to breaking down structural barriers and ensuring women gain genuine economic agency.”
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Syed Salim Raza, Chairperson, Karandaaz Pakistan, emphasised the organisation’s vision for gender mainstreaming:
“Increasing women’s participation in the formal economy is absolutely critical to national economic growth, household resilience, and sustainable development outcomes. Karandaaz is moving beyond isolated interventions to embed women’s inclusion across our entire investment, innovation, and ecosystem portfolio. Our objective today was to foster deep collaboration with regulators, development networks, and the private sector to bridge the digital and financial access literacy gaps that restrict women from fully participating in Pakistan’s evolving digital economy.”
Through ongoing research, ecosystem funding, and strategic networking, Karandaaz Pakistan continues to champion scalable solutions that reduce the country’s gender gap and enable inclusive, sustainable economic development.
