The State Bank of Pakistan has launched the second edition of its Banking on Equality policy, BoE 2026, aimed at narrowing the gender gap in financial services and bringing more women into the formal banking system.
The central bank said women’s financial inclusion is key to long-term economic growth and forms a core part of its Vision 2028.
What the first Banking on Equality policy achieved
Since the first policy was introduced in 2021, the gender gap in financial inclusion has narrowed from 39% to 29% in 2025. Banks hired more than 17,500 women, raising women’s share of the banking workforce from 13% to 17%, and many banks set up dedicated teams to design products for women. SBP also received the Alliance for Financial Inclusion’s Policy Achievement Award for Gender Inclusive Finance 2026.
Four priorities for 2026
BoE 2026 focuses on four areas: strengthening women’s representation and retention in the financial sector, expanding women’s digital access to financial services, supporting women entrepreneurs and financial literacy through support hubs, and using gender-disaggregated data to track progress.
Under the policy, banks will have targets for women’s share in hiring, customer outreach and branchless banking agents. SBP has also advised banks to offer day care facilities for working mothers, adopt career progression plans for mid-career women, run digital onboarding drives, introduce simplified women-focused digital accounts and promote digital payments for women-led businesses.
