Prime Minister Imran Khan launched the Ehsaas Saving Wallets initiative in Islamabad at the end of May, a scheme that would allow female beneficiaries to use digital wallets for savings and cash withdrawals, bringing them within the financial inclusion net.
“As the number of bank accounts grows, poverty decreases,” the prime minister explained. “Women can save money, start businesses, and have control over their life when they are included in the financial system.”
Given that only 18 percent of Pakistani women have bank accounts, this project strives to expand women’s financial opportunities. Access to mobile money wallets, on the other hand, necessitates the use of mobile and internet services. Given Pakistan’s 38 percent gender difference in mobile phone ownership (the biggest in South Asia) and 49 percent gender difference in internet usage, increasing the number of digital wallets for women may prove to be a Herculean effort.
The problem isn’t over yet. Pakistan has consistently rated worst in South Asia for online inclusivity, and has been in the bottom three places in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Inclusive Internet Index.
