Meezan Bank bags its 6th ‘Best Bank’ award
• Bank of Punjab wins three awards; HBL wins ESG award
• SBP chief calls for faster banking digitisation, higher private sector credit
KARACHI: Meezan Bank Ltd was named Pakistan’s best bank for the sixth time at the 11th Pakistan Banking Awards held in Karachi on Friday, while Bank of Punjab secured honours in three categories.
Jury Chairperson Zubyr Soomro, explaining the challenges involved in selecting winners among banks and non-bank institutions, said the jury was not yet ready to announce a winner in the Best Bank category.
Subsequently, Meezan Bank secured the top award, and was also named the best bank for customer engagement. Bank of Punjab won three awards for Best Bank for Women’s Inclusion, Best SME Bank and Best Bank for Agriculture Inclusion.
In a surprise announcement during the ceremony, Bank of Punjab President and CEO Zafar Masud said the bank would not submit entries in any category next year, saying other banks should also get an opportunity to win.
Habib Bank Ltd received the award for Best Bank for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), while Bank Alfalah won the Digital Excellence Award.
Faysal Bank Ltd and Askari Bank were jointly named the Best Mid-Sized Bank.
The award for Best Contribution by a Non-Bank Entity went to Pakistan Microfinance Investment Company Ltd, while ASA Microfinance Bank Ltd was named the Best Microfinance Bank.
Earlier, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmad spoke about the prevailing economic environment and challenges arising from the regional conflict.
He said the situation remained encouraging for banks, but private-sector credit penetration was still low and is 50 per cent compared to Bangladesh.
The governor expressed confidence that banks could help improve the situation as the government’s financing needs declined.
He also stressed the need to accelerate digitisation across the banking sector.
The 11th Pakistan Banking Awards were jointly organised by the National Institute of Banking and Finance Pakistan, A.F. Ferguson & Co and Dawn Media Group.
Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2026
Correction: An earlier version of this article erroneously stated that Meezan Bank had won the Best Bank award for the fifth time. The tally has been corrected online.
