Dubai, 11 December 2023: VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ:VEON, Euronext Amsterdam: VEON)), a global digital operator that provides converged connectivity and online services, announces that Mobilink Bank, its financial services operating company in Pakistan, participated in the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, UAE. Mobilink Bank's Chief Operating Officer Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary spoke at a panel on gender equality and gender-responsive finance to combat climate change in Pakistan.
Mobilink Bank, Pakistan's leading digital microfinance bank with over 45 million registered users, is among the first adopters of climate finance in Pakistan. Mobilink Bank has invested over PKR1.6 billion ($5.6 million) in green financing, primarily focusing on loans for solar applications in agriculture to promote renewable energy. Mobilink Bank is also one of the strongest advocates of gender diversity and inclusion in Pakistan, having allocated over PKR12 billion ($42.2 million) of subsidized financing to more than 66 thousand women entrepreneurs. It continues to provide digital, financial, and agritech solutions to farmers, enhancing sustainable agricultural practices with a gender-inclusive focus.
Speaking at a panel organized by UN Women Regional Office of Asia and the Pacific and Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination of Pakistan during COP28, Chaudhary emphasized the intersection between gender-inclusivity and climate initiatives.
"It is often the most disadvantaged parts of the society that bear the brunt of disasters, including climate ...