ISLAMABAD-FINCA Microfinance Bank Limited (FMBL), the first microfinance bank in Pakistan to open an all-female staff-led branch, has announced a collaboration with CIRCLE Women, a social enterprise dedicated to women’s economic empowerment and leadership development. The collaboration aims to empower women from low-income strata by promoting digital literacy and financial inclusion under CIRCLE Women’s Digital Literacy Programme (DLP).
Through this collaboration, CIRCLE Women will train 1,000 female customers of FMBL in digital skills, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. By partnering with FMBL, the 1,000 DLP participants will expand their businesses and benefit from FINCA Pay, the digital mobile application that offers convenient and secure financial transactions. CIRCLE Women’s developed DLP curriculum, approved by master trainers and experts, shall be utilised in all trainings. “At FINCA, we strongly believe that sustainable growth must be inclusive, and we are committed to our double bottom line mission with social impact at its core. Our aim is to enhance women’s access to capital by adopting a gender lens approach throughout our customer research, product design, and delivery. We share this belief with CIRCLE Women that financial services can serve as a powerful tool for women’s empowerment. Our collaboration will focus on adding more women to Pakistan’s financially included segment, thereby advancing our shared social mission,” said Jahanzeb Khan, CEO of FINCA Microfinance Bank Ltd.
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Sadaffe Abid, CEO and founder of CIRCLE Women, also stated, “The digital and financial inclusion of women in Pakistan’s economy is no more a luxury— it is a necessity of our time. When a woman is financially enabled, she invests back into the health, nutrition and education of her family. With technology and digital financial platforms, we need to bring solutions for women and create a more equitable society.”
As part of FINCA Impact Finance, a global network of microfinance institutions and banks providing socially responsible financial services, FINCA Microfinance Bank Ltd has been empowering women in Pakistan for decades. With a nationwide presence through 130+ branches across 120+ cities, the bank has provided over 100,000 female entrepreneurs with affordable access to microfinance loans and other necessary resources for running a successful business. The bank’s complete suite of products and convenient banking services, including specially designed loan products for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, further supports the growth of women-led businesses in Pakistan.
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