Meezan Bank bags its 6th ‘Best Bank’ award

Meezan Bank has taken Pakistan's top banking prize for a sixth time, according to Dawn, at the 11th Pakistan Banking Awards in Karachi on Friday. The lender also took the customer engagement prize, and the jury had initially held back from naming a winner in the top category. Bank of Punjab collected three honours for women's inclusion, SME banking and agriculture inclusion.

Habib Bank was recognised for ESG performance, while Bank Alfalah won the Digital Excellence Award. Faysal Bank and Askari Bank shared the Best Mid-Sized Bank title, and Pakistan Microfinance Investment Company was honoured for its non-bank contribution. Bank of Punjab's president and CEO, Zafar Masud, also said the bank would not submit entries next year so other lenders could compete for prizes.

SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad said conditions remained encouraging for banks, though private-sector credit penetration remained weak, at 50 per cent compared with Bangladesh. He added that banks could help as government financing needs fell, and he urged faster digitisation across the sector.