SBP launches financial education roadmap to promote financial education

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday unveiled the National Financial Education Roadmap 2025-29, aiming to expand knowledge and access to quality financial services for all segments of society.

“By adopting a synchronised approach to promote financial education in Pakistan, the Roadmap will achieve its target to provide financial education to 50 million beneficiaries as set under the latest NFIS [National Financial Inclusion Strategy] 2024-28 and augment the financial inclusion efforts in the long term,” the SBP said in the roadmap document.

Meanwhile, the inaugural ceremony of Pakistan Financial Literacy Week (PFLW) 2025 was held at the National Institute of Banking and Finance (NIBAF) Pakistan. The event brought together key stakeholders from across the financial sector to promote the importance of financial education and inclusive growth under the theme ‘Financial Inclusion through Collaboration and Innovation’.

In a keynote address, the SBP’s governor Jameel Ahmad emphasised the crucial role of financial literacy in building a more inclusive and resilient financial system. He highlighted SBP`s efforts towards increasing the numbers of financial inclusion in the country and appreciated the banking industry and other stakeholders for their role in financial literacy efforts. The Pakistan Financial Literacy Week 2025 will continue through April 18, 2025, featuring a wide range of activities, including awareness campaigns, financial education sessions, school outreach programmes, digital engagement initiatives and financial literacy walks across the country.

Ahmad said that Pakistan has made significant strides in promoting financial inclusion through a range of initiatives. He elaborated that the National Financial Literacy Program for Adults and Youth has successfully trained over 3.4 million individuals, with women making up 58 per cent of the participants. A specialised financial literacy program for teachers in Baluchistan has also been launched, aimed at empowering the teaching community in historically underserved regions. Referring to the banking on equality policy (BoE), he observed that the policy has played a key role in reducing the gender gap in financial access -- from 47 per cent in 2018 to 34 per cent in 2023. The launch of Raast, Pakistan’s first instant digital payment system, has facilitated fast, secure, and low-cost transactions for the public. Complementing this, the Asaan Digital Account and Asaan Mobile Account have made it easier for millions to open bank accounts and access digital financial services.