ILO recognizes MMBL’s WIN program as a Best Practice Case Study in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment

Pakistan’s largest digital bank, Mobilink Microfinance Bank's (MMBL) flagship women empowerment program, ‘Women Inspirational Network (WIN)’ has been recognized at the Women Empowerment Conference held in Karachi– a joint venture of The Employers’ Federation of Pakistan (EFP) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), under PRS/STRIDE project funded by Government of Japan, as a best practice case study in ILO’s upcoming publication documenting similar cases globally. The event was graced by Senator Rukhsana Zuberi as chief guest.

 

Mobilink Microfinance Bank is part of the VEON group, a global digital operator that provides converged connectivity and online services across seven countries. As part of its digital operator strategy, VEON is transforming people’s lives, creating opportunities for greater digital inclusion, and driving economic growth across countries that are home to more than 8% of the global population.

 

Women empowerment remains a strategic priority in MMBL’s long-term ambition of fostering inclusive and sustainable economic growth and prosperity across Pakistan. The WIN program aims to help bridge the gender gap in economic opportunity by enabling women entrepreneurs to succeed professionally through skill development, digital and financial literacy, strategic guidance, and access to customized banking products and services.

 

Thus far, the program has equipped 900+ women entrepreneurs with the skills to make informed business decisions and drive their businesses toward prosperity. These inspirational stories have encouraged thousands of aspiring women entrepreneurs to take their first steps toward financial independence, leading to significant growth in MMBL’s female borrower base and heralding a robust change at the grassroots level. 

 

Welcoming this development, President & CEO, MMBL, Ghazanfar Azzam said, “WIN receiving global recognition for its impact on women empowerment in Pakistan is commendable. Diversity and Inclusion are deeply woven into MMBL’s business philosophy, and we have undertaken concrete steps to inspire inclusive and sustainable development at the national level. Besides our efforts to promote diversity and inclusion, our 9-point Agenda for Financial Inclusion 2.0, is a pioneering policy document focused on enabling the rapid development of the digital financial ecosystem in Pakistan for an amplified and long-term impact.” 

 

Also commenting on this achievement, Chief Finance and Digital Officer, MMBL, Sardar Mohammad Abubakr stated, “WIN's recognition as a best practice case study by EFP & ILO is an encouraging development signifying the importance of the program. The ideology behind WIN revolves around preparing and equipping female customers with the right digital and financial skills to lead successful businesses. We are humbled that the program has witnessed a constant influx of success stories from all over Pakistan and has immense potential to scale through collaborative efforts.”

 

MMBL is a leading digital microfinance bank and the torchbearer of fostering digital and financial inclusion in the country, particularly amongst the unbanked segments of society. The bank offers a wide range of digital financial products and services through its broad-based financial ecosystem, with a network of over 100 branches, that caters to the varying needs of different individual and enterprise customers, particularly women and Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs).