NBP
“ Fintech partnerships play a pivotal role in NBP ’ s digital transformation and our relationship with them is a symbiotic one ”
AMIN MANJI CTO / GROUP CHIEF , INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP , NBP in people through training , supportive leadership and a positive work environment is far more important than investing in technology itself . This is a foundational tenet that has and continues to guide me .”
Indeed , digital transformation is the new norm for NBP , much like it is for other leading institutions . This includes cybersecurity efforts , which are a nonnegotiable today for protecting consumer data , securing financial transactions and the continuity of products and services .
“ Sustainability is becoming an increasing concern for us too ,” adds Amin , “ and we continue to progress on this front with green data centres , elimination of paper , hardware recycling and preferred procurement of higher recycled content products .”
NBP and inclusive development : Supporting the underserved While leading the charge to digital transformation with a focus on people is the key focus for Amin , he is acutely aware of NBP ’ s responsibility to foster financial inclusion , with an estimated 100 million
( out of 250 million ) Pakistani adults unbanked , a low literacy rate of 58 % and a high poverty level now sitting at 40 %.
“ These issues , against a backdrop of economic considerations , are throttling progress on financial inclusion and hence on inclusive growth ,” says Amin .
Despite the headwinds to financial inclusion , NBP remains committed to reaching its goals of supporting the underbanked as one of Pakistan ’ s ‘ Big Five ’ banks .
Indeed , the bank is already seeing substantial growth in online payments and digital financial transactions as it bids to meet its inclusivity goals .
This has been helped by Pakistan ’ s 2008 Branchless Banking regulation , representing an entry point to banking for millions through mobile – reaching underserved populations in rural areas . Today , Pakistan has a high mobile penetration rate of 82 %.
“ More recently , we saw the launch of Raast ,” says Amin , “ Pakistan ’ s first instant payment system for end-to-end instantaneous digital payments .”
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