Commerce Desk
Karachi: Meezan Bank, Pakistan’s leading Islamic bank, has signed two exchanges of letters with UNIDO’s Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Bahrain (UNIDO-ITPO Bahrain) and the International Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ICEI). The agreements will support startups, women- and youth-led businesses and MSMEs.
Under the arrangement, Meezan Bank will set up an in-house Focus Group offering non-financial services based on UNIDO’s Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion (EDIP) methodology, which helps entrepreneurs become investment-ready. Planned services include business advisory, training, investor matchmaking, mentoring, technology linkages, export support, incubation and referrals to suitable Meezan Bank financial products.
UNIDO ITPO Bahrain will help design and run the group by advising on its framework, transferring EDIP tools and best practices, training bank staff, and connecting it with national and international partners. It will also promote entrepreneurship in emerging sectors such as clean energy, the marine economy, creative industries and services for senior citizens.
Meezan Bank President and CEO Dr. Syed Amir Ali said access to finance alone is not enough, as promising businesses also need guidance, skills and connections. UNIDO ITPO Bahrain head Dr. Hashim Hussein said the initiative could become a regional model for entrepreneurship support in banking. ICEI Chairman Sheikh Ebrahim Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Meezan’s founding chairman, said it moves the bank from building a successful institution to helping build successful enterprises.
