Daily Times

United Bank Limited is partnering with National Incubation Center, Karachi to organize the BuiltByHer 3.0 Hackathon to address women’s economic inclusion in Pakistan whilst simultaneously promoting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Despite having an estimated population of over 220 million, the participation of women in Pakistan’s local economy is impeded due to lack of financial literacy and difficulty in accessing financial services. Therefore, it is imperative for leading businesses to support endeavors that encourage women empowerment.

BuiltByHer is a 48-hour long virtual hackathon aimed at empowering young women in creating technological solutions to address pressing developmental challenges present within their communities. While the previous iterations focused on a variety of issues ranging from education to tourism, this edition focuses on the economic empowerment of women, a subject matter that UBL as a responsible corporate organization is committed to addressing. To commemorate the partnership, a signing ceremony was held recently and was attended by Mr. Sharjeel Shahid, Group Executive-Digital Banking, UBL (seated, left) and Mr. Omar Abedin, Project Director, NICK (seated, right) alongside other senior members from both sides.

The participants of the nationwide hackathon will team up to ideate and create solutions to redesign financial products to be made inclusive, create marketing campaigns to promote financial inclusion and design digital solutions aimed at promoting financial literacy amongst women. The competition will not only provide young women the opportunity to test their innovativeness but the best two teams will also win an exciting cash prize sponsored by UBL. On the eve of the ceremony, Omar Abedin, Project Director, NICK shared his excitement of partnering with UBL and said, “Having an organization like UBL committed to creating a gender inclusive economy is a game changer. With UBL’s expansive reach and expertise in banking technology, the participating teams are bound to come up with some truly innovative solutions.” Speaking on the occasion Mr. Sharjeel Shahid, Group Executive, Digital Banking Group, UBL said, “UBL has always taken pride in being a progressive and inclusive bank. Supporting women entrepreneurs in tech space will go a long way in bank’s attempt to carry forward the spirit of UBL as a responsible Corporate Citizen. We hope this partnership inspires the participants and many others to go after their dreams”.