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State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad has urged banks to formulate future-focused strategies centered on digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), climate financing, and export facilitation.

State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad has urged banks to formulate future-focused strategies centered on digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), climate financing, and export facilitation.

Speaking at the 10th Pakistan Banking Awards held in Karachi, where he attended as the chief guest and presented the Best Bank Award to Meezan Bank, the Governor emphasized that the banking sector must integrate digital tools across all operations. He stressed the use of AI for smart risk management, creating suitable financial products, incorporating climate risks into lending processes, and aligning business models to better support Pakistan’s exporters.

The Governor noted that these awards play a vital role in raising the standards of Pakistan’s banking industry. He outlined a transformative vision for the next decade, based on innovation, inclusion, and responsibility.

He highlighted that meaningful change is only possible if banks shift their business models towards catering to the financial needs of the private sector, especially SMEs and small depositors. Banks relying mainly on easy profits through government lending will eventually fall behind those institutions actively mobilizing deposits and fulfilling the credit needs of underserved segments.

For the future roadmap, the Governor encouraged banks to focus on four key areas:

1. Deep Digitalization

Banks must embed digital experiences across their customer journeys and internal processes, including mobile commerce, agricultural supply chains, credit scoring, and risk management.

2. AI-Driven Smart Banking

Banks should adopt AI and machine learning tools to build smarter risk models using alternative data, and design specialized financial products for startups, small businesses, and entrepreneurs lacking traditional documentation.

3. Climate-Smart Credit Decisions

Institutions should incorporate climate risks into credit evaluation, set clear sustainability goals, and develop products such as green bonds and sustainability-linked loans.

4. Export-Oriented Business Models

Banks must strategically reorganize their priorities to actively support and strengthen Pakistan’s exporters.

The 10th Pakistan Banking Awards ceremony was organized by the National Institute of Banking & Finance (NIBAF). The Governor praised the three partners and the institution’s decade-long efforts to promote excellence, innovation, and transparency in the financial sector.