Conference held: MMBL’s women empowerment programme ‘WIN’ praised

ISLAMABAD: The Mobilink Microfinance Bank’s flagship women empowerment programme, the “Women Inspirational Network (WIN)”, was recognised at the Women Empowerment Conference held in Karachi – a joint venture of the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan (EFP) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), under PRS/STRIDE project funded by the 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.

The 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, the 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 programme 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 programme has equipped 900 plus 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 that the WIN receiving global recognition for its impact on women empowerment in Pakistan is commendable. Diversity and Inclusion are deeply woven into the 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 that the “WIN’s recognition as a best practice case study by EFP and ILO is an encouraging development signifying the importance of the programme. 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.

The 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 and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022