HBL became the first Pakistani bank to open a branch and serve clients in Beijing, China’s capital city.
Karachi, 22 March 2021
The inauguration ceremony for HBL Beijing was attended by clients, regulators and senior executives of the Bank from across HBL’s international network. From Pakistan, Mr. Jameel Ahmad, Deputy Governor – State Bank of Pakistan, Mr. Sultan Ali Allana, Chairman - HBL, Mr. Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL, along with senior executives and HBL’s customers, virtually joined the ceremony. HBL Beijing offers a full range of products & services for the Bank’s esteemed clients.
HBL remains grateful to the Governments of Pakistan and China and the regulators for the trust and confidence they have reposed on the Bank, through the opening of the branch.
HBL has created history by being the first and only bank from Pakistan to have a branch in Beijing and one of the three banks from South Asia and MENA region to offer end-to-end RMB intermediation in China. Upon commencement of business, HBL Beijing has become HBL’s second branch and its managing branch in China; both branches in Beijing and Urumqi are equipped with foreign exchange and RMB license to better facilitate customers’ requirements in multiple currencies.
HBL’s presence in China will allow the bank to interact with State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and leading financial institutions involved in CPEC and across Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) corridors. China is a very important market for HBL not only in terms of the business in China and CPEC, but also for Chinese companies working on projects in countries across the HBL network.
Chairman HBL, Sultan Ali Allana said, “HBL’s journey in China began in 2005 when we established our Representative Office in Beijing. This was followed by the establishment of branch operations in Urumqi in 2017 and today we mark the commencement of our branch operations in Beijing. It is an extremely proud moment for us as we enhance our China franchise, and we look forward to playing a leading role in facilitating regional trade and serving our valued customers throughout HBL’s international network.”
Commenting on the branch opening, Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO, HBL said: “China is the second home market for HBL and we will grow our business in the country. China remains the lynchpin of HBL’s international strategy. We are grateful to the regulators for having granted us the branch license. They are very supportive of developing market-based capabilities and encouraging financial institutions like HBL to provide clients best-in-class product and services. HBL is the largest executor of CPEC related financing in Pakistan, and the Bank’s presence in China has put us in a unique position to connect our clients across the HBL network directly with the businesses in China.”
Karachi, September 23, 2021
HBL, in a first of its kind partnership has enabled the acceptance of Finja Debit Cards on the Bank’s ATM network free of cost. Through this arrangement, the Finja Debit Card holders will have free access to HBL’s extensive network of over 2,100 ATMs, the largest in the country.
As part of expanding access to HBL’s banking technology, this cutting-edge facility will enable Finja Debit Card holders to process self-service transactions such as cash withdrawals and fund transfers without any cost via HBL’s ATM network.
This initiative furthers HBL’s vision of becoming a ‘Technology Company with a Banking License’, as it will facilitate in providing innovative solutions and unmatched open Application Programming Interface (API) banking services through the Bank’s digital assets like Konnect by HBL, Mobile and Internet Banking platforms for new-age companies and clients.
Commenting on the collaboration, Sagheer Mufti, Chief Operating Officer – HBL said, “HBL has taken one more step towards customer convenience by leveraging its digital platforms. The partnership with Finja will extend our business model by providing access to HBL’s vast network.”
Qasif Shahid, CEO & Co-Founder - Finja remarked, “Collaboration between banks and fintechs is imperative to foster the digital ecosystem and platform-based business models. HBL through this partnership is clearly leading the way.”
Karachi, September 22, 2021
HBL is the supporting partner of the Pakistan Pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020. This initiative is in line with the Bank’s continuous support of Government of Pakistan’s vision to promote trade, commerce, investment and tourism.
The Dubai Expo 2020 will run for six months, starting on 1 October 2021. The event is about celebrating culture, collaboration and innovation. A state-of-the-art facility has been set up for the event hosting 192 country pavilions.
The Pakistan Pavilion has been designed and curated by leading architects, designers, visual artists and researchers. It presents the hidden treasures of Pakistan through an immersive, multi-sensory experience to explore the country’s cultural diversity, craftsmanship, economic potential and the dynamism of its people.
HBL is Pakistan’s leading, largest and oldest bank. The Bank firmly believes in Pakistan’s growth potential and investment opportunities. HBL continues to work towards a sustained economic and social uplift of the country. The Bank is confident that the Dubai Expo 2020 will attract investors to come and explore the untapped business and tourism potential of Pakistan.
Karachi, 28 July 2021
HBL has launched WhatsApp Banking for its customers enabling them to avail select banking services through the platform. The service is powered by E Ocean, a leading Cloud Communications provider.
HBL WhatsApp Banking solution facilitates one-to-one conversations with customers seamlessly, and responds to queries, real time in a secure way. Customers can simply send a message via WhatsApp to the HBL UAN number (021-111-111-425) and request for their account balance, acquire product information, inquire about Roshan Digital Account (RDA) Services, locate nearest ATMs and Branches and obtain responses to FAQs. Furthermore, RDA customers can also chat with live agents via this messaging application.
With the deployment of the of the WhatsApp Banking service, HBL has further solidified its customer-centric digital banking and aims to develop a deeper understanding of customer needs to serve them better by offering intuitive banking solutions.
Abrar Ahmed Mir, Chief Innovation & Financial Inclusion Officer – HBL, commenting on the deployment said, “We are happy to be partnering with eOcean for the deployment of the WhatsApp Banking service. This offering is a pivotal step in providing HBL’s customers, especially those who are frequent users of WhatsApp, seamless customer service through this Conversational Messaging platform. This is in line with the Bank’s
focus on keeping our customers at the forefront of our digital transformation journey and continuing to empower them with hassle-free, convenient lifestyle options.”
Altaf Siddiqui, Director of Pre-sales and Products at E Ocean said, “Being a first official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider in Pakistan, we are truly grateful and honored to partner with HBL for trusting us to deliver WhatsApp banking for its customers for a secure and seamless banking experience. At E Ocean we have witnessed first-hand the support and cooperation extended to us by HBL team to deliver a complex on-premises solution in record time.”
Muhammad Asad Khan, Head – Secured Assets Consumer Rural and SME Banking – HBL (sitting on Left) and Abdul Rab, Senior Manager Marketing and Sales – Indus Motor Company (sitting on Right) signing the agreement between the two organizations. Representatives from both the organizations were also present at the occasion.
Karachi, September 15, 2021
HBL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indus Motor Company Ltd. The MoU was signed by Muhammad Asad Khan, Head – Secured Assets, Consumer, Rural and SME Banking and Abdul Rab, Senior General Manager, Marketing and Sales - Indus Motors.
Through this agreement, HBL will facilitate its customers by providing them with exclusive financing and insurance rates on all Toyota variants. With this initiative, customers can avail preferential rates and priority delivery of their financing facility. The combined expertise of the companies will help save time, reduce hassle, and create a seamless purchase and financing. In addition, 50 authorized Dealerships and 35 TSURE (used certified vehicles) outlets will be utilized to offer leasing facilities.
This alliance will also facilitate Islamic Banking customers and highlight the distribution channel of windows and Islamic Banking branches that are catering to customer needs. Collaboration between conventional and Islamic Auto loans provides customers with various options to choose from.
Aamir Kureshi, Head – Consumer, Rural and SME Banking stated, “The importance of forging such strategic partnerships enables HBL to put the customer first, giving them options to choose between conventional and Islamic auto loans so we can facilitate our customers in every way possible.”
Abdul Rab, Senior General Manager, Marketing and Sales - Indus Motor, commented, “When two established giants, such as Toyota & HBL, in the auto finance industry join hands to form an alliance to provide an attractive offer, it creates an excitement amongst the consumers in the market. This was a long-awaited alliance and we are very excited for the outcome of this alliance.”
HBL launches Pakistan’s first comprehensive Personal Finance Management tool, powered by Hysab Kytab
Karachi, 05 April 2021
HBL has joined forces with Hysab Kytab and launched the first comprehensive Personal Finance Manager (PFM) solution, offered by any bank in Pakistan. Hysab Kytab’s PFM (budgeting) tool is integrated into HBL Mobile and will enable all app users to take control of their financial wellbeing.
Reinforcing its passion for customer-centric digital banking under the slogan of ‘more than just banking’, HBL Mobile is tirelessly working towards developing a deeper understanding of customer needs in order to server them better by offering them intuitive banking solutions. Now, HBL Mobile users will be able to record and track expenses, create budgets in various categories, plan and track saving goals, and view all accounts in one place, amongst other features.
Commenting on this partnership Abrar Ahmed Mir, Chief Innovation and Financial Inclusion Officer - HBL said ‘’This partnership with Hysab Kytab is a pivotal step in providing our mobile banking users with a holistic view of their finances, and empowers our customers to make sound financial decisons. HBL continues to deliver innovative banking solutions, and this PFM will act as a key differentiator in our internet and mobile banking services.”
Veqar Islam, Head - Hysab Kytab stated ” Going live with HBL is a major milestone. Hysab Kytab is a PFM born in Pakistan and I thank HBL for trusting and selecting it for their own digital platforms. This is the kind of support that our local banks can offer to help Pakistan’s FinTech industry to grow and provide solution for the local requirements.”
We encourage our customers to login to the HBL Mobile app, click on ‘budget’ section and make use of this facility.
Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO - HBL (Left) and Fawad Ahmed Mukhtar, CEO Fatima Group (Right), signing the agreement between the two organizations.
Karachi, 28 July 2021
HBL and Agro Digital (Pvt.) Limited (a Fatima Group company) signed a strategic partnership through an MOU that encompasses jointly exploring various activities that will have a sustainable impact on the agriculture sector whilst uplifting the financial well-being of small farmers in Pakistan
HBL’s Development Finance Group (DFG) is tasked with deepening and widening the agro-ecosystem using innovative technologies and fair priced financing solutions to augment Pakistan’s agriculture value chain under a unique ‘Farm-to-Fork’ model. The Bank has successfully launched pilots on major food crops that involve optimized agronomy advisory alongside fair-priced quality inputs and mechanized services in the form of ‘in kind’ loans. These have been ‘tailored for each farmer in the field’, by the agronomists employed by HBL. Farmers are on boarded digitally via HBL Pay and loans are approved swiftly using the end-to-end seamless digital process.
Fatima Group is an established name in the agri sector and is playing a major role in key crops of the country. It has a strong footprint in Pakistan’s agricultural sector. Its flagship brand “Sarsabz” is the fertilizer of choice amongst millions of farmers across Pakistan and is used for all crops and in all seasons. It contributes to the national economy by enhancing crop yields of more than 10 million acres through provision of value-added fertilizers, thus contributing to the national food security. In addition, Fatima Group has one of the largest teams of agriculture experts in the country providing advisory services to Farmers.
Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL, commenting on the occasion said, “HBL is committed to empowering the marginalized and underserved sectors of the economy, leading to a more financially inclusive society. HBL’s strategic alliance with Agro Digital (Fatima Group) will enable farmers, who are the backbone of our country, to build a secure livelihood. Investing in the agricultural sector is an integral part of the Bank’s business agenda and is in line with the Government of Pakistan’s vision of building a prosperous agricultural economy that will contribute to the national GDP and uplift rural communities.”
Fawad Ahmed Mukhtar, CEO Fatima Group, commenting on the MOU signing said, “Fatima Group’s vision is to bring about transformation of Pakistan’s agriculture sector. We are an active partner with the Governments of Pakistan & China under CPEC-II Agriculture Development Initiative and are collaborating with reputed companies to bring high quality seed of cotton and other value-added crops in Pakistan. Our aim is to develop a well-integrated and vibrant agriculture ecosystem with an objective to fulfil farmer needs of access to finance, inputs, markets and information by using latest technologies. We are also striving to bring modern crop-production technologies to develop end-to-end value chain of agri products. This collaboration between Fatima Group and HBL will assist farmers with access to quality seeds & fertilizers, crop management advisory services and mechanization services resulting in better yields.”
Karachi, September 3rd, 2021
marks a special occasion in the history of HBL, Pakistan’s largest Bank in the private sector. The Bank celebrates the 50th anniversary of the HBL Plaza building today. The HBL Plaza building commenced its operations on 4th September 1971. This commanding 335 feet skyscraper stands tall on I.I. Chundrigar Road, the heart of Pakistan’s financial district, and houses over 1,700 employees.
Recognized as one of the most prominent buildings of Pakistan, the building’s structure with its distinct shape and engineering firsts in Pakistan, remains a symbol of Karachi’s skyline and continues to be one of the most prominent landmarks of the country. Upon its commencement, it was the tallest bank building in Asia and for decades it remained the tallest building in the country.
Few structures in the country are as embedded in the nation’s psyche as HBL Plaza is. Many would remember the building being used for the sighting of the Ramazan and Eid moons. 50 years later, HBL Plaza continues to be an important landmark of Karachi.
Today, HBL Plaza serves as the nerve-centre of HBL’s operations, technology and the digital transformation that the Bank has embarked upon. The building is the backbone of the products, services and controls that HBL provides to its clients.
These past 50 years lifespan of the HBL Plaza building has seen a significant growth in the financial well-being of both the country and the millions of HBL clients. The building has witnessed HBL’s remarkable strides in the financial industry. For perspective, around that period, the Bank’s profit stood at approximately Rs 100 million; today, it has crossed Rs 30 billion. In these intervening years, the Bank’s advances have grown from Rs 4 billion to Rs 1.2 trillion, while its total deposits have risen from Rs 6.8 billion to Rs 3 trillion.
Commenting on the occasion, Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL said, “HBL’s financial journey wouldn’t have been possible without our clients, stakeholders and employees who have been steadfast in their loyalty to the Bank. Their support has enabled HBL to become one of the leading brands of Pakistan. As HBL looks ahead to its future, to serve the clients through its physical and digital channels, I would like to take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation and gratitude to all our stakeholders, as the Bank continues to serve them in the decades ahead, Inshallah.”
Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO - HBL (Sitting on the left) and Tian Bing, CFO Middle East Region – Huawei (Sitting on the Right) signing the MoU between the two organizations
Karachi, 9 March 2021
HBL and Huawei Pakistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cement their strategic partnership, through projects focused on financial and technological innovation, enabling HBL to augment its existing processes and systems. Both organizations have already completed milestone projects in 2020, such as the Promissory Note discounting project and the SD-WAN projects.
Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO, Sagheer Mufti, Chief Operating Officer, Aamir Irshad, Head Corporate, Commercial & Investment Banking, Farhan Talib, Regional General Manager, China and Singapore, Dr Aamir Matin, Head Technology, Muhammad Nassir Salim, Head Global Operations and Walid Kouba, Regional General Manager, Gulf represented HBL at the occasion. Tian Bing, CFO Middle East Region, David Shi, President Middle East Enterprise, Mark Meng, CEO Huawei Pakistan, and Shahzad Rasheed, Chief Technical Officer represented Huawei. During the ceremony, an HCIE Certification was also awarded to Mr. Naveed Hussain, who is part of HBL’s network team.
Both organizations agreed to work together to focus on technological innovation in digital banking, mobile payment systems, and the cloud platform.
Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO - HBL commenting on the occasion stated, “We are delighted to enter into a global strategic partnership with Huawei with whom HBL has collaborated on a number of successful projects in the past year. HBL’s relationship with Huawei signals our commitment to becoming a “Technology Company with a Banking License,” allowing us to serve our customers better. It is also an affirmation of our commitment to making China the lynchpin of HBL’s international strategy, as we grow our business and portfolio in that region.”
Adding to his sentiments, CFO Middle East Huawei stated, “Our achievements cannot be realized without the support from HBL, our strategic bank partner.” Further adding, “Since 2019, we have comprehensive business cooperation with HBL on sales financing projects, banking services, while also delivering the SD-WAN project.”
HBL wins “Best Bank in Pakistan 2021” award by Euromoney The Bank also wins ‘Pakistan’s Best Domestic Bank 2021’ award by Asiamoney
Karachi, 15 July 2021
Euromoney awards HBL the accolade of Pakistan’s Best Bank 2021. Earlier this year, the Bank also won Asiamoney award for Best Domestic Bank in Pakistan 2021.
These two awards are the most prestigious awards in the banking industry, globally.
These awards are a recognition of the HBL’s leadership performance and innovative approach in its Consumer banking, Commercial banking and Development Finance business streams, leveraging its digital banking platforms, leading the way in financial inclusion, and the launch of the Beijing branch and capturing opportunities associated with the CPEC initiative.
These are undoubtedly very well-deserved accolades as they come against a backdrop of unprecedented challenging times globally, including Pakistan.
The Euromoney citation for HBL acknowledges “Habib Bank (HBL) is going from strength to strength under Muhammad Aurangzeb (President & CEO). Remarkably, in a year when most banks around the world were trying to stem the losses caused by Covid, HBL doubled its after-tax profits to PKR 30.9 billion ($193.4 million).”
The citation makes specific reference to HBL’s business strength in e-payments, cards, auto and trade businesses.
Remarking on HBL’s rural banking/development finance initiative, the citation reads “Agriculture is a mainstay of HBL’s innovative efforts; the bank aims not only to fund farmers but deploys full-time agronomists to help with improving crop yields.”
Euromoney and Asiamoney are global English-language publications focused on business and finance.