Meezan Bank to host in-house Focus Group using UNIDO's EDIP methodology

Meezan Bank has signed two exchanges of letters with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization's Investment and Technology Promotion Office in Bahrain (UNIDO-ITPO Bahrain) and the International Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (ICEI), aimed at supporting startups, women and youth entrepreneurs, and micro, small and medium enterprises in Pakistan.

Under the arrangement, the bank will establish a dedicated in-house Focus Group offering non-financial services built on the Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion (EDIP) methodology, a programme developed by UNIDO-ITPO Bahrain to help entrepreneurs and small businesses become investment-ready. The letters were signed in Karachi by Dr Syed Amir Ali, President and CEO of Meezan Bank, Dr Hashim Hussein, Head of UNIDO-ITPO Bahrain, and H.E. Sheikh Ebrahim Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and of the ICEI.

The Focus Group will provide structured advisory and non-financial services intended to help entrepreneurs and MSMEs grow sustainably, attract investment and stay competitive. UNIDO-ITPO Bahrain will support the bank in designing, establishing and operating the unit, transferring EDIP tools and best practices, training designated bank staff and advisors, and connecting the group with national and international partners, experts and institutions. The initiative will also promote entrepreneurship in emerging sectors including clean energy, the marine economy, creative industries and services for senior citizens.

Dr Syed Amir Ali said MSMEs, startups, and women and youth entrepreneurs are central to Pakistan's economic future, but that access to finance alone is not enough. He said many promising businesses also need guidance, skills and the right connections to grow, and that working with UNIDO ITPO Bahrain and ICEI brings an international methodology into the bank to help such businesses strengthen their operations, access new markets and become investment-ready.

Dr Hashim Hussein described the initiative as an innovative approach that brings financial and non-financial services together under one roof, and said UNIDO-ITPO Bahrain was pleased to share the EDIP methodology, tools and international network to help develop the Focus Group into a regional model for entrepreneurship support in the banking sector. H.E. Sheikh Ebrahim Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa said the aim was to help entrepreneurs turn promising ideas into sustainable businesses, creating jobs and economic opportunities, and expressed hope that the initiative becomes a model for Islamic financial institutions in Pakistan and beyond.