Kenya and Tanzania on Friday launched a project in partnership with the African Confederation of Cooperative Savings and Credit Associations to boost financial inclusion in the two countries.

Advans Pakistan Microfinance Bank Limited, the target of the acquisition, represents the Pakistani branch of the renowned Advans Group, a leading international microfinance group with operations spanning nine developing countries.

Ericsson and Telenor Microfinance Bank have signed a multi-year extension of their partnership to propel easypaisa’s financial services offerings and expand the horizon of their service portfolio within the fintech sector in Pakistan.

The awardees include HugoBank Limited, KT Bank Pakistan Limited, Mashreq Bank Pakistan Limited, Raqami Islamic Digital Bank Limited and Telenor Microfinance Bank Limited.

President, Dr. Arif Alvi urged the banking institutions to take measures to further strengthen financial inclusion and gender equality in the sector. 

Symbiotics Investments' loan represents the first-ever local currency loan by any international institution in the microfinance sector of Pakistan.

Anaweza: She Can, launched by IFC, is a wide-ranging program to empower women across Tanzania's economy to access financing, attain leadership positions in the private sector, and launch or grow businesses.

The global digital operator VEON last week announces that Mobilink Microfinance Bank Ltd. in Pakistan has signed up to the GSMA’s Connected Women Commitment Initiative set up to accelerate digital and financial inclusion for women.

The partnership will give the bank an opportunity to expand their digital outreach and bring the unbanked population into the financial ecosystem in an efficient manner.

In her role as UNSGSA, Queen Máxima spoke with entrepreneurs and mobile money agents at the market to better understand the impacts of mobile money on the growth of their businesses.