Pakistan’s BISP Launches 10 Million Digital Bank Accounts for Women

Pakistan’s flagship poverty alleviation initiative, the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), has embarked on one of the largest female-centric digital financial inclusion exercises in the world, aiming to equip 10 million women with digital bank accounts linked to their mobile phone numbers within the next four months.

Launched in 2008 and named after the late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, BISP operates with a budget of Rs716 billion ($2.5 billion) for the current fiscal year. Through its Benazir Kafaalat program, the initiative provides quarterly stipends of Rs13,500 ($48) to approximately 10 million women across Pakistan.

BISP Secretary Amir Ali Ahmed explained that the opening of these digital accounts is part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s broader initiative to promote a cashless economy and accelerate the country’s digital transformation. He confirmed that the process of issuing mobile phone SIM cards to beneficiaries began on November 17 and is expected to be completed by March next year.

“This is one of the largest exercises globally that is female-centric, linked with financial inclusion and financial empowerment,” Ahmed said. Currently, only five to ten percent of beneficiaries have bank accounts, leaving 90 to 95 percent excluded from the formal banking system. The new initiative seeks to bridge this gap by linking women to the banking sector through mobile SIM cards, in coordination with the IT Ministry, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, National Database and Registration Authority, and telecom companies nationwide.

The move is expected to empower women financially, ensuring transparency and eliminating past issues related to stipend disbursement. Previously, many women faced exploitation, deductions, and long queues at agent networks due to a lack of personal bank accounts. With the new system, beneficiaries will receive their payments directly into their own accounts, reducing opportunities for corruption or delays.

As of now, over 1.9 million SIMs have been distributed to BISP beneficiaries across the country. Punjab leads the rollout with 810,597 SIMs issued, followed by Sindh with 523,629 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 371,427. Other regions include Azad Jammu and Kashmir with 59,617, Balochistan with 82,826, Gilgit-Baltistan with 45,184, and Islamabad with 4,508.

The initiative is a major step toward financial inclusion for women in Pakistan, providing millions of previously unbanked women with access to formal financial services. By connecting beneficiaries to mobile banking, BISP not only ensures timely and transparent stipend delivery but also empowers women to participate in the economy more effectively, supporting long-term socio-economic development and gender equality across the country.