KARACHI:The Khushhali Microfinance Bank Limited and HBL Konnect have signed an agreement, enabling payments for Khushhali Bank customers through HBL Konnect branchless banking and agent’s network across Pakistan.

According to a statement issued on Friday, the agreement marks a significant step taken by KMBL to incorporate partners from the digital payments industry to transform its infrastructure, thereby facilitating customers to make their Khushhali Bank payments conveniently throughout the country.

KMBL, a longstanding banking name with a wide customer base predominantly in rural area, has also previously onboarded JazzCash, EasyPaisa, OmniPay along with offering inter-net and mobile banking in order to digitize its operations and transition into swift and responsible digital banking methods.

“Currently, KMBL branch network is across the country at 215 locations, including the 18 locations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 5 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 3 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 2 in Baluchistan, remaining network is in Sindh, South Punjab, and Central Punjab at district, tehsil and UC level. We have an active customer base of over 3 million and around 1 million are borrowers. However, as we scale up, we aim to reinforce our banking model with digital services to ensure the smooth continuity of our operations”, said Aftab Alam Chief Business Officer of KMBL while addressing the signing ceremony.

“Given the potential, the bank deems it wise to reduce footfall in branches and integrate automated, digital solutions wherever possible. Integrating digital facilities through in-house offerings and also through partnerships is a step towards streamlining banking services, and for financial inclusion across the country, enabling transparency and accessibility for both the banks and their customers”, said Hammad Haider – Head Operations and Chief Digital Officer KMBL.

Agha Israr Ahmed, National Sales Head of HBL said that partnership between KMBL and HBL Konnect is of great value and going forward we may look into other opportunities and service offering through this partnership like loan disbursements through the integration of digitized systems, together we may gradually achieve the aim to identify the hardest to reach customers and empower them with seamless financial services, while also ensuring a growing customer base in the urban centers of the country.”