Khushhali Microfinance Bank, the leading microfinance bank of Pakistan, celebrates the Women Entrepreneur Day today and pledges to continue its support for women owned businesses. Celebrated every year on 19th November, World Women Entrepreneurs Day commemorates women who continue to defy the daunting circumstances and excel as professionals and home makers in developing economies around the world.

Khushhali Microfinance Bank, the country’s first microfinance bank established in 2000, now has over a network of over 128 branches primarily in the rural areas of Pakistan and caters to over 508,317 active borrowers. With a portfolio that boasts of 24% women inclusion (124,297), the microfinance bank caters to women across all provinces with 5.23% of the portfolio hailing from AJK, 0.005% to Baluchistan, 5.52% to KPK, 76.55% to Punjab and 12.70% to Sindh.

Khushhali Microfinance Bank’s vision over the past 15 years of its legacy is to lead by example when it comes to identifying women empowerment opportunities and optimizing on them. Keen to invest wisely, women have not shied away from availing loans and experimenting with new business in all economic fields. Out of our total current female borrowers, 33% of have invested in enterprises, 12 % in agricultural industry whereas 55% have invested in livestock putting their families back to their feet.

Speaking about the various financial assistance programs available, Ghalib Nishtar, President Khushhali Microfinance Bank said, “Women remain an untapped economic potential in the developing economies where, according to the International Labor Organization, there are 812 million women living with the potential to contribute more actively to their economies. The need of the hour is to proliferate policies to support women inclusion in the workforce in order to enhance opportunities available to them, this will directly impact women’s success in business which, as a majority gender in the population, ensures national economic progress and success.”