ISLAMABAD: Mobilink Bank and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, Pakistan (UN Women Pakistan) here on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to ignite a transformative wave across Pakistan's socioeconomic landscape, with a steadfast commitment to advancing gender empowerment and revolutionizing the financial ecosystem.
Through this partnership, Mobilink Bank endeavours to address the unmet financial needs of half of Pakistan's population – women – to create equal opportunities, enable access to essential financial services and promote women empowerment to drive nationwide economic development.
Mobilink 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 by creating opportunities for increased digital inclusion and by driving economic growth across countries that are home to more than 8% of the world’s population.
The collaboration between Mobilink Bank and UN Women, effective immediately and extendable for one year, marks the beginning of a unified mission. This venture is dedicated to bolstering financial services for women while nurturing inclusivity in the financial landscape. The core objective of this collaborative effort is to uplift women-led small and nano enterprises through tailored capacity-building initiatives.
In this joint effort, Mobilink Bank and UN Women will launch economic empowerment programs, aligned with their respective mandates with a special focus on building an enabling environment tailored to address the financial challenges faced by female entrepreneurs. With a gender-responsive strategy at its core, Mobilink Bank will strive to ensure that all its products and services champion inclusivity.
At the event, Haaris Mahmood Chaudhry, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) Mobilink Bank, emphasized the organization's central mission, which revolves around expanding access to financial services. He particularly highlighted their commitment to empowering women entrepreneurs and women-led small enterprises, drawing inspiration from the remarkable success of their flagship program, the Women Inspirational Network (WIN), which has already positively impacted the lives of more than 2,500 women through customized capacity-building solutions.
Chaudhry also underscored the significance of their collaboration with UN Women, highlighting their unwavering determination to foster substantial and beneficial change within the digital financial ecosystem. In conclusion, he affirmed the bank's resolute dedication to driving meaningful and positive change
Sharmeela Rassool, Country Representative of UN Women Pakistan in her remarks said, “We are delighted to cooperate with Mobilink Bank in this venture. This partnership associates perfectly with our vision of advancing gender equality and women's empowerment, particularly in the domain of economic and financial inclusion. By joining forces, we can collectively drive impactful change and create opportunities for women to thrive as entrepreneurs and leaders in their communities.”
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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