November 21, 2002	Thursday	Ramazan 15, 1423

ISLAMABAD, Nov 20: The US Secretary of Treasury O’Neill has appreciated the progress of microfinance in Pakistan. He said that the poor, particularly women, needed access to financial services and small amounts could enable them to earn a respectable living.

Visiting Khushhalibank on Tuesday, he said reforms undertaken by the government would deepen the microfinance sector. He was accompanied by Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz and other members of the ministry, says a Press release.

Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz thanked the Secretary for taking interest in KB and said that the bank was launched on a fast-track basis within 2 years learning from international best- practices and indigenous experiences. He said that KB was poised to cover the entire country to meet the financial needs of the poor.