SECP clears Rs1.5bn capital boost for Pakistan’s first digital retail bank
Pakistan’s first digital retail bank moved a step closer to commercial operations after the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) approved a Rs1.5bn increase in the paid-up capital of HugoBank.
The fresh capital injection paves the way for HugoBank’s commercial launch. The bank has already secured in-principle approval from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to establish a digital retail bank.
According to the SECP, HugoBank is being established by a consortium of Pakistani and Singaporean investors, with its sponsors set to invest $60mn.
The regulator said HugoBank’s entry is expected to enhance competition in Pakistan’s digital financial sector.
HugoBank will provide branchless banking services through mobile and online platforms, while the expansion of digital banking is expected to offer consumers faster and lower-cost financial services.
Reference Link:- https://mettisglobal.news/SECP-clears-Rs15bn-capital-boost-for-Pakistans-first-digital-retail-bank-62413
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
