Baker marks multimillion-dollar Cisco network deployment at SBP

KARACHI: US Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) Natalie Baker joined State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad and senior executive leadership from Cisco Systems Pakistan Friday at the SBP Head Office to celebrate the successful deployment of the State Bank’s new core banking network and Software-Defined Data Centre.

The multimillion-dollar core banking network project, awarded to US technology leader Cisco, represents a major milestone in modernising Pakistan’s critical financial infrastructure. The project establishes a secure, agile, and resilient software-defined data centre architecture designed to safeguard monetary stability and ensure reliable digital banking services nationwide.

Speaking at the ceremony, CDA Baker emphasised the strategic value of trusted and secure technology in underpinning modern financial systems and highlighted the growing commercial ties between the United States and Pakistan.

“The central bank’s infrastructure is a national asset that underpins economic stability and public confidence,” CDA Baker said.

“The State Bank of Pakistan’s choice to partner with American industry demonstrates a commitment to technology quality, security, and long-term reliability. The United States values its long-standing commercial partnership with Pakistan, and we stand ready to continue connecting Pakistani institutions with world-class American innovation.”

SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad and Cisco Country General Manager Kashif Ul-Haque praised the joint engineering effort that completed the complex implementation and migration while maintaining uninterrupted central banking operations.

The event underscores the US government’s ongoing commitment to fostering private-sector collaboration, promoting transparent and secure digital infrastructure, and deepening bilateral trade and investment relations between the United States and Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026