{"id":108607,"date":"2025-10-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/uae\/ihc-buys-a-majority-stake-in-pakistans-first-women-bank\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T00:00:00","slug":"ihc-buys-a-majority-stake-in-pakistans-first-women-bank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/uae\/2025\/10\/20\/ihc-buys-a-majority-stake-in-pakistans-first-women-bank\/","title":{"rendered":"IHC buys a majority stake in Pakistan\u2019s First Women Bank"},"content":{"rendered":"

ADX-listed International Holding Company (IHC) acquired <\/strong>a majority stake<\/a><\/strong> in <\/strong>Karachi-based First Women Bank Limited<\/strong> (FWBL) as part of a government-run privatization process, it said in a bourse filing (pdf)<\/a>. The size of the transaction wasn\u2019t disclosed. <\/p>\n

FWBL will adopt a new name and identity<\/strong>, broadening its mandate beyond women-focused banking to promote financial inclusion across Pakistan. Founded in 1989, FWBL is a commercial lender with 42 branches nationwide, offering retail, SME, and corporate banking services.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next:<\/strong> IHC will recapitalize the lender to meet the minimum capital requirement and strengthen its balance sheet for expansion post-transaction. The company plans to modernize FWBL\u2019s core banking infrastructure, automate processes, and introduce AI-enabled analytics and digital channels to improve efficiency. The plan also includes investing in talent and capacity building.<\/p>\n

SEPARATELY- <\/strong>IHC <\/strong>plans to deploy USD 36 bn every 18 months<\/strong> as part of a strategy to double its current USD 119 bn asset base over five years, the Financial Times<\/a> reports. <\/p>\n

IHC plans to get there by selling off 6-7% of its asset base every 18 months<\/strong>, freeing up around USD 10 bn, CEO Syed Basar Shueb said. The generated cashflow, coupled with debt, would make the USD 36 bn target possible, he added.<\/p>\n

The moment is already there<\/strong>, as IHC has seen its asset base grow from USD 1 bn six years ago to USD 119 bn as of 1H 2025. The group is one of the largest firms globally in terms of total assets and has a market capitalization of USD 239 bn. Its portfolio of 1.5k subsidiaries spans sectors from mining, asset management, investment, construction, and food.<\/p>\n

ICYMI- <\/strong>The plan follows news of a subsidiary restructuring, with IHC subsidiary Multiply Group securing approval to take full ownership<\/a> of other IHC-linked firms, 2PointZero and Ghitha Holding. The three firms are set to be consolidated under Multiply to form a single entity and one of the emirate\u2019s largest conglomerates, with AED 120 bn in assets across 85 countries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

IHC also plans to invest USD 36 bn every<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":108608,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2392],"tags":[159,7,2409,1344,60],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"class_list":["post-108607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ma-watch-2","tag-banking","tag-enterpriseam-uae","tag-international-holding-company-ihc","tag-ma","tag-ma-watch","wpautop","entry"],"acf":{"mongo_id":"ae071a0a-a6d4-4a22-b2f4-73166fc00720","order":"4","is_powered_by":false,"story_type":"1","photo_url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/2025\/2\/1600.jpg","photo_position":"above","homepage_title":"","full_issue_title":"IHC buys a majority stake in Pakistan\u2019s First Women Bank","related_issue":[108600],"teaser":"IHC also plans to invest USD 36 bn every","voice_url":"https:\/\/s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/ent.news\/audio\/2025\/10\/.4bbe0c89-c608-42ec-a39d-5e2f2b2fa9c9.mp3"},"yoast_head":"\nIHC buys a majority stake in Pakistan\u2019s First Women Bank - 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