The Pakistan Microfinance Network (PMN) concluded the 10th Annual Microfinance Conference (AMC-X) in Karachi, bringing together government, regulators, financial institutions, development partners and experts to shape the next phase of financial inclusion in Pakistan.
Organised by PMN in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) under the EU-funded Poverty Alleviation and Inclusive Development Across Rural Sindh (PAIDAR) programme, the two-day conference marked a decade of AMC as a national platform for policy dialogue, partnership and industry collaboration.
Under the theme “Pathways for Inclusive Growth: Unlocking Synergies,” discussions focused on moving beyond financial access towards client progression, resilience and measurable economic outcomes, particularly for women, farmers, microenterprises and underserved rural communities.
Addressing the conference virtually, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, placed financial inclusion within Pakistan’s wider transition from macroeconomic stabilisation towards sustainable growth.
He called for greater use of cash-flow-based rather than collateral-based lending, digital credit tools and alternative data to bring more borrowers into formal finance, particularly in agriculture and SMEs.
“It’s not just how much you lend, how many borrowers, but also start measuring outcomes,” he said, highlighting borrower graduation, job creation and women’s economic participation as important measures of success.
Opening AMC-X, Mr. Amir Khan, Chairman PMN and President & CEO, HBL Microfinance Bank, called for microfinance to be integrated into the wider financial system.
“The principle behind everything to follow is to mainstream microfinance into the financial ecosystem, not a parallel track,” he said.
Mr. Khan stressed that the sector’s next decade should be judged not only by outreach but by whether clients are able to progress towards stronger businesses, assets and financial independence.
On Day Two, Mr. Jeroen Willems, Head of Cooperation of EU Pakistan, addressed the conference virtually. In his address, he welcomed the chief guest, Chief Minister Sindh Syed
Murad Ali Shah and assured him of continued collaboration in Sindh’s development journey. In his address, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah emphasised that financial inclusion must move from mere access to quality and relevance, with products designed around clients’ incomes, seasons and risks. He highlighted the value of bringing government, lenders and development partners together early to address poverty and enterprise development more effectively.
The Chief Minister also welcomed the launch of the PAIDAR Innovation Labs, which will bring financial institutions and rural enterprises together to co-design and test products for underserved markets in Sindh. The initiative builds on PAIDAR’s wider work on rural enterprise development, risk-sharing and access to finance.
A major conference outcome was the expansion of the PAIDAR guarantee-based financing facility with the National Credit Guarantee Company Limited (NCGCL). Under Phase II, financing will scale from PKR 200 million to PKR 4.2 billion, while participation will expand from three to eight financial institutions.
The programme will reach borrowers across Larkana, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal and Tharparkar, with women targeted for at least 50% of allocated financing. NCGCL will provide risk-sharing support for direct microenterprise lending as well as guarantees for commercial bank and DFI credit lines to MFIs, supported by a €2 million grant under EU funded UNIDO PAIDAR programme for beneficiary identification, technical assistance and mark-up support.
Another outcome was the signing of a PKR 1 billion financing facility between Pakistan Microfinance Investment Company (PMIC) and National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) under the PMIC–KfW Renewable Energy Initiative through Microfinance (PRIME) Programme.
Across the two days, AMC-X sessions examined emerging trends in microfinance, women’s access to finance, regulation, artificial intelligence, climate resilience, Islamic microfinance, digital platforms, liquidity and the future of the sector to 2035.
A recurring message was that financial inclusion should be measured not simply through the number of accounts or borrowers reached, but through actual usage, economic progression and improvements in clients’ lives. In a fireside discussion, Mr. Saleem Ullah, Deputy Governor, State Bank of Pakistan, similarly stressed the need for customer-centred innovation, commercial sustainability and a shift from measuring access towards meaningful financial inclusion.
Ms. Roshaneh Zafar, Managing Director, the Kashf Foundation highlighted the two major risks confronting the industry- the mission drift and climate vulnerability- and proposed ways to country these. Sessions on women’s access to finance called for a stronger focus on agency, control and financial independence, while discussions on the future of microfinance highlighted customer graduation, productive finance, savings, insurance and climate resilience as priorities for the coming decade.
AMC-X also recognised leading institutions through the Pakistan Microfinance Awards 2026 and honoured individuals whose leadership has shaped Pakistan’s financial-inclusion landscape.
HBL Microfinance Bank was awarded the best microfinance bank, while National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) was awarded the best in non-banking microfinance company (NBMFC) category.
Dr. Muhammad Amjad Saqib was recognised for pioneering and scaling Akhuwat’s dignity-based, interest-free model of financial inclusion.
Mr. Naved A. Khan was recognised for connecting mainstream banking leadership and financial-sector governance with innovative financing for microfinance institutions and underserved communities.
Marking ten years of AMC, PMN reaffirmed its role as a convening platform for the partnerships, policy dialogue and collective action needed to turn financial inclusion into inclusive economic growth.
