Pakistan’s financial inclusion rate has reached 71%, while the gap between men and women in access to formal financial services has narrowed to 27%, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad said on Tuesday, November 4, 2026, in Islamabad.
What happened?
Governor Ahmad shared the figures while addressing the opening session of a four-day joint learning programme on inclusive green finance in Islamabad, organised by the SBP and the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI). The programme brought together 38 representatives from central banks and financial regulators from 24 countries across four continents.
Key details
- Financial inclusion in Pakistan has reached 71%, and the gender gap in access to formal financial services has narrowed to 27%.
- Governor Ahmad said climate finance must reach the people who need it most — women, smallholder farmers and small businesses — the groups most exposed to climate shocks and least served by formal finance.
- He said climate change and financial exclusion are closely linked, as communities most exposed to climate risks often have the least access to insurance, savings and formal financial services.
- Pakistan is sharing its Green Taxonomy and climate risk framework with regulators across the AFI network.
- The SBP’s framework includes the Green Banking Guidelines issued in 2017, the Environmental and Social Risk Management Framework introduced in 2022, the Pakistan Green Taxonomy, regulations on climate-related financial risks, and the Climate Stress Testing Guidelines issued in December 2025.
- On women’s access to finance, the governor highlighted the Pakistan Women Inclusive Finance Programme, supported by the Asian Development Bank, and the second edition of the SBP’s Banking on Equality Policy, launched in October 2026. The policy aims to reduce the gender gap in financial inclusion to 25% by 2028.
- Pakistan joined the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Code in 2025, with the SBP serving as the anchor institution for the financial industry.
What it means for people in Pakistan
For ordinary Pakistanis, higher financial inclusion means more people can open bank accounts, save safely, receive payments digitally and access credit. For women, small farmers and small businesses, the focus on climate finance could mean better access to loans and insurance to cope with floods, heatwaves and crop losses. The real test will be whether banks turn these policies into easier account opening and lending on the ground.
