Walee Financial Services (WFS) has been recognised as a runner-up in the Gender-Responsive Marketplace category at the Pakistan Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Awards 2026, held in Karachi on November 3, 2026.
What happened?
UN Women Pakistan honoured 17 winners and runners-up at the biennial Pakistan WEPs Awards 2026 in Karachi. The awards recognise businesses advancing gender equality across workplaces, marketplaces and communities. In the Gender-Responsive Marketplace category, the winner was the Pakistan Microfinance Investment Company, with Walee Financial Services and The Bank of Punjab named as runners-up.
Key details
- The recognition celebrates Walee’s flagship women-focused asset-financing programme, Khudmukhtar Khatoon (“Independent Woman”), delivered in partnership with Karandaaz Pakistan through Walee’s Shariah-compliant digital financing platform, Hakeem.
- The programme helps women-led micro and small businesses access financing for the assets they need to grow, addressing one of the biggest barriers women entrepreneurs face: access to meaningful, growth-oriented finance.
- The 2026 edition of the awards received 52 applications from major corporations to small and medium enterprises across the country, across seven categories.
- The awards were organised by UN Women Pakistan in partnership with Derien and Soorty, with GEO as media partner. The WEPs Awards were established jointly by UN Women and the UN Global Compact.
- National winners will now be considered for the regional 2026 Asia-Pacific WEPs Awards, scheduled for December 1, 2026.
What it means for people in Pakistan
For women running small businesses — from tailoring and food services to beauty salons — programmes like Khudmukhtar Khatoon offer a Shariah-compliant way to get the equipment and stock they need without relying on informal borrowing. Recognition at a national UN Women event also puts a spotlight on digital Islamic fintech as a route to financial inclusion for women, and may encourage more banks and fintechs to design products for women entrepreneurs.
