Financial inclusion in Pakistan

The business case for the financial inclusion of rural women.

Access to finance is a major challenge in Pakistan, particularly for marginalised groups, including women and the rural population. MDF’s work with Khushhali Microfinance Bank and Kashf Foundation has helped improve the availability of microfinance in rural Punjab and addressed key issues such as financial literacy and rural mobility, to increase opportunities for women to take out loans to buy livestock. By accessing formal finance services with affordable interest rates, farming households were able to increase their herd size. This paper examines the interventions MDF undertook with Kashf Foundation and Khushhali Microfinance Bank (KMBL) to identify the factors that help the private sector design financial products that are suited to rural women.