Daily Times

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), in collaboration with Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), unveiled the mass media campaign for Asaan Mobile Account (AMA) a flagship initiative under the National Financial Inclusion Strategy, to mark its formal launch. AMA aims to address financial exclusion challenges faced by the unbanked segments by providing them an easy, affordable, and digital access to financial services, by simply dialling a USSD code *2262#.

The launch of a mass media campaign by SBP will help in creating general awareness about the AMA, its ease of use, and allied benefits to attract the unbanked segments into the formal financial network. The mass media campaign will cover all major TV, radio, print, and digital platforms, across the country. Besides Urdu, the campaign will also be run in regional languages to ensure maximum outreach, awareness, and understanding of the product by all Pakistanis across the country.

The mass media campaign has been designed from a user-centric perspective. The campaign aims to build public awareness about the ease of use and simplicity of opening AMA by simply dialling the USSD code *2262# from any mobile phone (smart or simple feature phone) through any mobile network, without the need for internet connectivity. Customers can choose their preferred bank from a list of branchless banking providers and avail of several banking services including fund transfer, deposit, bill payments, mobile top-up, balance inquiry, etc.

The mass media campaign, funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), is expected to play a crucial role in spreading digital financial inclusion among all, especially among the low-income segments and women with mobile phones who may not have access to the internet and wish to have a simpler way to avail financial services. Moreover, AMA Scheme will be a perfect conduit to onboard women customer segments as Pakistani women face distinct obstacles in accessing formal financial services due to mobility and documentation hassles.