For a woman running a small shop, farm-linked enterprise or service business, opening a business account and securing suitable finance can be as important as finding customers. Pakistan’s central bank has now set out a new three-year framework aimed at making financial institutions do more to serve women entrepreneurs.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) issued its Banking on Equality Policy 2026 on October 13. It applies to banks, microfinance banks and development finance institutions, among other regulated entities. The policy builds on the 2021 Banking on Equality framework and supports the National Financial Inclusion Strategy’s goal of narrowing the gender gap in financial inclusion to 25 percent by 2028.
A larger lending portfolio is a bank-level aim
One of the policy’s headline goals is for banks and development finance institutions to aim to double their financing portfolio to women and women-owned or women-led businesses across priority sectors by December 31, 2028. The institutions are expected to develop annual credit plans and use more focused customer segments and lending methods.
That target is not a promise that every applicant will receive a loan, nor does the circular set one loan amount or interest rate for all businesses. SBP says institution-specific targets, based on June 2026 figures, will be communicated later. Business owners still need to ask each lender about the product, eligibility conditions, documentation, pricing and repayment terms currently available.
The policy defines a women-owned or women-led business as an enterprise where women hold more than 50 percent of ownership or management rights. That definition may help founders understand how the policy identifies its target segment, although a specific bank product may have its own eligibility rules.
Digital accounts and advisory support
SBP directs regulated entities to facilitate dedicated Women Digital Business Accounts with simplified requirements and account limits tiered to the size and nature of the business. The framework also calls for an incremental annual increase of at least 20 percent in women’s active account ownership. This is a sector-level objective. It does not establish that every bank has already launched such an account or that every woman entrepreneur automatically qualifies.
The policy also calls for Women Entrepreneurship Hubs in designated SME branches to offer non-financial advisory services. Banks’ Women Financial Services Departments are expected to provide support directly or through partner organisations. The circular encourages partnerships with universities, incubators, SMEDA, TDAP, SECP and NAVTTC to support entrepreneurship and startup financing among women graduates.
For women business owners in Chitral and other areas outside large commercial centres, the practical question is whether a local bank or microfinance branch has introduced these services yet. Ask whether it offers a Women Digital Business Account, an SME advisory hub, or a financing officer who handles women-owned enterprises. SBP’s circular describes the direction and obligations, but does not list local branches that have already launched each service.
Prepare evidence and ask specific questions
Entrepreneurs can make financing discussions more useful by keeping business and personal transactions clear, retaining sales and expense records, and preparing a simple cash-flow forecast. These are practical steps, not a special SBP-mandated application checklist. Ask the lender which records it needs and how it assesses a business whose revenue is seasonal, informal or partly cash-based.
SBP also encourages banks and development finance institutions to use digital journeys for business and financial guidance, credit assessment, approval and repayment. It encourages the use of alternative data to assess women-owned firms. The policy’s aim is to improve how institutions understand businesses, but it does not remove the need for a lender to assess repayment capacity.
Separately, Pakistan signed the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Code in February 2025, with SBP serving as its national anchor. The 2026 Banking on Equality policy gives banks a more detailed set of actions on accounts, credit, advisory support and gender-disaggregated data. For entrepreneurs, progress will be visible not only in new policy language, but in whether suitable services become accessible at the branches and through the digital channels they can actually use.
Sources
- State Bank of Pakistan: Banking on Equality Policy 2026 circular
- State Bank of Pakistan: Banking on Equality Policy 2026 document
- State Bank of Pakistan: Women Entrepreneurs Finance Code
Muhammad Nayab Khan is a seasoned Freelance Journalist, Media Professional, and Enterprise Development expert based in Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Holding an MBA in Finance from Punjab University, he brings a unique economic and digital perspective to media storytelling, corporate branding, and regional development. He maintains active professional affiliations with Qashqar TV (First PEMRA Licensed WebTV in Chitral) and Chitral Express (Chitral’s Largest News Network), where he contributes high-impact digital content, editorial visuals, and comprehensive coverage of regional socio-economic issues. As a multi-faceted entrepreneur and media creator, Nayab combines sharp investigative insight with advanced visual communication to highlight local narratives on regional and national platforms.
