The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has instructed commercial banks to raise the proportion of women in their workforce from the current 17 percent to 22 percent by December 2028. This directive falls under the Banking on Equality Policy 2026.
To achieve this goal, the central bank requires banks to create action plans with specific timelines to recruit more women and improve their presence in offices and branches. The SBP has also told banks to prioritize placing female employees in branches and cities of their choice whenever possible to help women overcome mobility challenges and stay employed.
To move women into management roles, the SBP has directed banks to implement merit-based promotion policies. Furthermore, banks must create training, coaching, and mentorship programs to assist the career growth of junior female staff. The regulator also wants banks to hire more women as financing officers, specifically in areas such as sustainable finance, housing, SMEs, agriculture, and microfinance to improve financial access for female borrowers.
The SBP also mandated that banks comply with workplace harassment laws and provide leave for maternity, miscarriage, and iddat as required by regulations. Additionally, the central bank included requirements for banks to provide daycare facilities or allowances for working mothers.
According to SBP data, the number of women in the banking workforce grew from 13 percent in 2021 to 17 percent in 2025. The total number of female employees has reached nearly 50,000, with approximately 17,500 women entering the sector in the last four years. However, the SBP noted that women are still underrepresented in decision-making and senior management positions. The central bank identified long hours, mobility restrictions, limited facilities, and employee retention as primary obstacles.
The SBP reported that progress has been made regarding financial inclusion for women. Women currently hold more than 78 million bank accounts, with over 45 million of those being active. This represents a 116 percent increase in active accounts since 2021. In terms of lending, nearly 377,000 women in agriculture received Rs. 105 billion in financing, while about 2.8 million women received Rs. 152 billion in microcredit. Additionally, the number of branchless banking agent outlets operated by women has surpassed 23,000, a 114 percent increase from 2021.
The Equality initiative began in 2021 to lower gender disparities and encourage banks to create services for women. This initiative helped reduce the gender gap in financial inclusion from 39 percent in 2021 to 29 percent in 2025.
