Allied Bank Limited’s (ABL’s) success across multiple categories reflects a transformation strategy focused on digital innovation, financial inclusion and organisational modernisation.
In particular, at a time when Pakistan’s banking sector is evolving rapidly, ABL has differentiated itself through a combination of technology-led customer engagement, operational scale and a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Fundamentally, ABL’s performance as a domestic banking franchise was supported by strong balance sheet growth and market positioning.
Total assets increased 20% year-on-year, while deposits rose 16%. The bank also maintained one of the strongest capital positions in the market, reporting a capital adequacy ratio of 27.7% alongside one of the lowest infection ratios in the sector.
Technology and innovation have been a key driver of differentiation. For example, ABL deployed “Pepper”, described as the world’s first social humanoid robot introduced within a banking environment in Pakistan. Integrated with the bank’s large language model capabilities, Pepper can recognise faces, interpret emotions and provide personalised customer guidance across digital channels.
Such an initiative demonstrates how ABL is combining artificial intelligence with customer-centric banking experiences to engage younger and digitally native consumers.
Judges praised the broad and well-articulated digital strategy, with an ecosystem that extends across the bank’s expanding self-service infrastructure and immersive banking capabilities. Notably, ABL became the first bank in South Asia to introduce advanced self-service banking kiosks that combine biometric authentication, automated onboarding and intelligent imaging technologies. Customers can independently open accounts, complete KYC verification and access a wide range of transactional services without manual intervention.
At the same time, the bank has continued to expand metaverse-enabled banking experiences, virtual reality product demonstrations and AI-powered customer engagement tools.
The scale of ABL’s digital adoption has been equally notable. The bank surpassed 2.6 million users on its myABL digital banking platform while processing approximately 122 million financial transactions during 2025. WhatsApp banking users increased 29% to two million customers, while more than 90% of transactions are now processed through digital channels. The bank also deployed nearly 10,000 point-of-sale machines nationwide and onboarded more than 20,000 QR merchants, further supporting Pakistan’s broader digital payments ecosystem.
Beyond technology, ABL’s strategy has been underpinned by a growing emphasis on inclusion and workforce development.
Women now represent more than 25% of the workforce, which is ahead of broader industry benchmarks in Pakistan. The bank has introduced female-only banking branches, implemented gender mainstreaming policies and launched targeted financial inclusion initiatives for women entrepreneurs.
In parallel, ABL invested heavily in training and capability development, achieving 95% training coverage across more than 12,300 employees during 2025.
Collectively, these initiatives demonstrate how the bank is positioning itself not only as one of Pakistan’s leading domestic institutions, but also as a future-ready institution redefining how technology, inclusion and customer experience can shape the next generation of banking.
“We remain committed to sustainable value creation through innovation, technological advancement and excellence in customer service,” said Chief Executive Officer Aizid Razzaq Gill. “Guided by our vision ’to be the first choice bank for customers’, we continue to strengthen our capabilities and deliver digitally-driven, customer-centric financial solutions that create lasting impact for the communities we serve.”
Contact
Allied Bank Limited
T: +92 300 1225225
W: www.abl.com
