The State Bank of Pakistan has launched Banking on Equality Policy 2026, the second edition of its gender mainstreaming framework for the financial sector. Building on the policy introduced in 2021, it targets women’s representation and retention in finance, digital access to financial services, entrepreneurship and financial literacy, and the use of gender disaggregated data. The policy supports Pakistan’s goal of reducing the gender gap in financial inclusion to 25% by 2028, after the gap narrowed from 39% in 2021 to 29% in 2025. The framework sets targets for women’s hiring, customer outreach and participation as branchless banking agents. It directs banks to support digital onboarding, simplified women focused accounts and digital payments for women led businesses, while expanding finance for women owned or led micro, small and medium enterprises through specialized products, alternative credit assessments, collateral mechanisms, fintech partnerships and gender informed credit planning. Banks are also advised to provide day care facilities and career progression policies for midcareer women. Implementation will be tracked through quarterly data reporting, a monitoring and evaluation framework, and regular mystery shopping exercises. These measures follow earlier gains under the policy, including the recruitment of more than 17,500 women by banks and an increase in women’s share of banking staff from 13% to 17%.
State Bank of Pakistan launches second Banking on Equality policy to expand women’s digital access and business finance
The State Bank of Pakistan has launched Banking on Equality Policy 2026 to expand women’s digital financial access, employment and business finance. The framework sets targets for hiring, outreach and branchless banking agents, and promotes specialized financing for women owned or led enterprises. It supports the national goal of reducing the financial inclusion gender gap to 25% by 2028.