Women’s Economic and Digital Inclusion: Karandaaz Pakistan pushes for systemic reforms

KARACHI: Karandaaz Pakistan has intensified efforts to integrate gender equity into Pakistan’s digital and financial ecosystem by convening key stakeholders from the financial sector, regulatory bodies and development organisations under its Women Economic and Digital Inclusion (WEDI) initiative.

At a strategic forum titled “Driving Systemic Change for Women’s Economic Inclusion”, the organisation brought together representatives from financial institutions, development partners and policymakers to reinforce institutional commitments and showcase initiatives aimed at reducing gender-related economic disparities.

The event highlighted Pakistan’s persistent gender gaps, where female labour force participation remains below 25%, while women account for only 14 percent of formal financial account ownership, according to the 2024 Karandaaz Financial Inclusion Survey (K-FIS).

During the forum, Karandaaz formally presented its evolving institutional gender strategy, outlining measures to strengthen women’s participation in the country’s digital and financial systems.

Speaking at the opening session, Carol Coye Benson, Board Member of Karandaaz Pakistan, said digital financial inclusion is a key driver of economic resilience and that building systems designed to serve women can unlock significant untapped economic potential.

She said providing women with reliable digital access to financial tools would strengthen households and the broader economy by integrating underserved women into the formal financial sector.

A key development at the event was the signing ceremony for the fifth round of the Financial Inclusion for Women Challenge (FIWC), under which Karandaaz launched partnerships with Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL) and Manzil Organization.

Under the initiative, MMBL will onboard 50,000 women working in the agriculture sector through its Dost mobile application by providing digital banking services, financial literacy programmes, healthcare benefits and savings products.

Meanwhile, Manzil Organization will support 9,000 rural women in Balochistan by allocating farmland, distributing agricultural kits and establishing community markets in Naseerabad.

Delivering a keynote address, Dr Elena Mylona, Counsellor and Group Head, Economics and Trade at the British High Commission in Islamabad, said sustained women-inclusive growth requires institutional changes across markets and financial systems, adding that partnerships between ecosystem builders and development organisations are essential to removing structural barriers and strengthening women’s economic agency.

Closing the event, Syed Salim Raza, Chairperson of Karandaaz Pakistan, said increasing women’s participation in the formal economy is critical for economic growth, household resilience and sustainable development.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026