Publication: Gender Intelligence for Banks: Moving the Needle on Gender Inequality
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2017-05-01
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2017-09-12
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The International Finance Corporation, IFC, is a member of the World Bank Group. IFC is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries. Habib Bank Limited (HBL) was established in 1941 and was the first commercial bank in Pakistan. Over the years, HBL has grown its branch network and maintained its position as the largest private sector bank in a number of categories. In terms of customers, HBL understands the various roles played by women in society and acknowledges the financial gaps in servicing women customers from all backgrounds. Today, HBL serves more women than any other bank in Pakistan. To do yet more, it introduced HBL Nisa, a banking platform dedicated to the women of Pakistan. HBL Nisa’s goal is to understand, educate, and develop products and services that cater to the financial needs of women. Since HBL and IFC formed a partnership in 2007, the relationship has grown, with an IFC Global Trade Finance Program (GTFP) investment. This engagement with HBL is also one of IFC’s flagship Banking on Women (BOW) projects, in which IFC also provided advisory services to assist with integrating a bank-wide gender diversity framework. Gender Intelligence for Banks — Moving the Needle on Gender Equality is the result of a joint partnership between the IFC and HBL in Pakistan. The initiative’s goal is to promote gender equality within banks and to develop insights into how gender intelligence programs can positively impact organizational gender awareness, financial inclusion for women, and bottom-line results for banks.
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“Hamm, Kathrin; Joseph, Roshin Mathai; Veit, Sebastian; Singh, Sandeep. 2017. Gender Intelligence for Banks: Moving the Needle on Gender Inequality. © International Finance Corporation. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28306 License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO.”
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