ABHI Microfinance Bank and Dastak Logistics Partner to Offer SME Lending Services
ABHI Microfinance Bank and Dastak Logistics have announced a strategic partnership to launch embedded lending services targeted at small and medium enterprises, combining financial access with logistics infrastructure to serve Pakistan's underpenetrated SME market. The initiative aims to provide working capital loans to businesses within the Dastak logistics network.
The partnership leverages Dastak's existing relationships with thousands of SMEs across Pakistan's wholesale and retail supply chains, using transaction data generated within the logistics ecosystem to inform credit decisions. This data-driven approach is intended to extend financing to small businesses that have historically been excluded from formal banking channels.
ABHI Microfinance Bank has positioned itself at the intersection of fintech and microfinance, and the Dastak collaboration represents an expansion of its embedded finance strategy. Officials from both institutions said the service would initially be piloted in key commercial centres before a national rollout.
The SME sector accounts for a substantial share of Pakistan's employment and economic activity but has long faced a structural credit gap. Industry observers welcomed the initiative as a market-driven response to a persistent financing bottleneck, while also noting that prudent risk management would be critical to the venture's long-term viability.
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