KARACHI: Halan Microfinance Bank plans to open 100 branches and business units across Pakistan this year to expand its presence in the country’s banking sector and improve access to formal financial services for underserved communities.

Currently, the bank operates 24 branches.

MNT-Halan, Egypt’s leading fintech, acquired Advans Pakistan Microfinance Bank last year and is now aiming for a $10 million investment in 2025 to enhance its footprint in the local market.

“Acquiring Advans Pakistan Microfinance Bank, now Halan Microfinance Bank, was a strategic move to enter the Pakistan market and bring our proven technology and expertise to a new geography,” Founder and CEO of MNT-Halan and Chairman of Halan Microfinance Bank Mounir Nakhla said in written responses to The News’s questions.

“While our current focus is on growing it organically by expanding its reach and refining our product offering, we remain open to exploring strategic opportunities that align with our mission of financial inclusion,” Nakhla said.

“Our goal is to scale our Pakistani operations to match the size and impact of our Egyptian business within the next 3-4 years. In 2025, we aim to grow our customer base to 200,000 and expand our local presence to open 100 branches and business units. We also plan to significantly increase our loan book to $500-$700 million within 5-7 years,” he added.

“Beyond growth, we are laser-focused on financial inclusion — developing tailored loan products for underserved communities and empowering women entrepreneurs with access to capital.”

Since the inception of Advans Pakistan Microfinance Bank, over Rs20 billion has been disbursed through 100,000 loans in the province of Sindh.

According to Nakhla, financial inclusion is a key driver of economic growth. When businesses have access to credit, they can expand their operations, create jobs and increase productivity. Similarly, when individuals can borrow, they increase their purchasing power, which boosts consumption and contributes to a growing economy.

Pakistan’s central bank aims to enhance the level of financial inclusion in the country to 75 per cent and reduce the gender gap to 25 per cent by 2028. The National Financial Inclusion Strategy for 2024-2028 reports that financial inclusion, measured by the percentage of the adult population with a bank account, has risen from 16 per cent in 2015 to 64 per cent in 2023. As of December 2023, 31 million adult women had at least one bank account, compared with 13 million in 2018, leading to a reduction in the gender gap from 47 per cent in 2018 to 34 per cent in 2023.

The fintech sector in Pakistan is primarily operating through mobile applications. The total number of users accessing mobile banking apps reached 96.5 million in the first quarter of this fiscal year, the central bank data showed.

“At MNT-Halan, we see fintech as borderless. Our technology is built to scale across markets, and Pakistan presents an exciting opportunity to drive real impact. In Pakistan, we are focused on microfinance targeting small business owners, salaried individuals, and women entrepreneurs — groups that have historically struggled to access formal financial services,” he said.

“In Turkey, we acquired Tam Finans, the leading factoring company disbursing north of $150 million monthly to more than 50,000 businesses, and we’re integrating our technology to expand our service offering to other segments. In the UAE, we have successfully launched Earned Wage Access and Send Now Pay Later services, reaching over 100,000 customers in under six months, with plans to introduce additional financial products soon.”