do not see any reason as to why they cannot be replicated in pakistan given the large pool of pakistani medical practitioners. the banks and financial institutions are willing to provide debt finance for such ventures and equity finance can also be raised through public offerings. what is required is getting together top notch medical professionals working in concert with the top class business and finance managers and hospital administrators. ninth, since the introduction of oxley - sarbanes legislation in the united states and similar stringent laws and regulations elsewhere, the profession of chartered accountancy has become extremely lucrative. there is an overall shortage of qualified accountants in all parts of the world. those who have qualified from the institute in pakistan are in heavy demand in u. k. and the midddle east as they have established a good track record. the limiting factor in producing more accountants as i understand from my interaction with the institute of chartered accountants in pakistan, is the shortage of qualified faculty. some of you practicing or actively engaged in this field may consider the possibility of helping meet this shortage by offering your services to teach at the institute for short periods of time. i am sure in this way, we will be able to produce a large pool of quality accountants whose services can be exported abroad or utilized at home. tenth, the tourism industry has not taken off in pakistan for a variety of reasons, including the negative perception that the country is a dangerous place to visit. on the other hand, we have the most beautiful places which would interest the eco - tourists as well as the heritage tourists. the northern areas and the karakorum range offer the potential for those interested in eco - tourism. mountaineering, tracking, etc. while taxila, harappa and moenjodaro are the bright spots for the heritage tourists particularly those having a penchant for the buddhist and ancient civilizations. for the mughal monuments located in lahore, the tour itinerary for india can be extended to include these 3 / 4 monuments. those associated with the leisure and hospitality industry here can help in organizing group tours and also investing in the supporting infrastructure – tourist lodges, hotels, transport, etc. i have presented the above examples as simply illustrative of the many opportunities which exist for the overseas pakistanis to explore and exploit. in my view, you are in a relatively better position to exploit some of these opportunities as compared with the foreigners because you have a better understanding of the cultural milieu in which we operate. you have a more realistic appreciation of the constraints

ashraf mahmood wathra : the importance of financial inclusion in pakistan speech by mr ashraf mahmood wathra, as acting governor of the state bank of pakistan, at the bank alfalah mobile commerce conference 2014, karachi, 13 march 2014. * * * assalam - o - aalaikum and good morning it is my great pleasure to join you at the international conference & exhibition on mobile commerce in pakistan, and share with you some of my thoughts on this important subject. i must congratulate the organizers and sponsors for their efforts in bringing together the stakeholders of mobile banking eco - system at one platform. being a regulator of banking sector, sbp believes that financial exclusion is hindering our fellow citizens in availing economic and business opportunities. today, there are an estimated 2. 5 billion adult people worldwide who do not have access to formal financial services. according to world bank ’ s global findex survey, almost 80 percent of those living within incomes of less than $ 2 per day are financially excluded. pakistan is a country of over 180 million people living in geographically diverse areas. our branch network of almost 12, 700 is insufficient to serve the millions of unbanked masses. banks operating in pakistan are hosting only 35 million customer accounts including 3. 5 million accounts opened by branchless banking providers. despite phenomenal spread of banking business in pakistan, we have a long way to go to achieve digital financial inclusion in the country. given the complexities and challenges of limited financial access in the country, state bank of pakistan has adopted a multi - pronged and long - term strategy to address financial exclusion through structured policy & regulatory actions, and market - development interventions. our program initiatives have been catalysing the market developments and fostering market ecosystem to especially promote innovative ways of doing banking business. as we all know that people around the world increasingly use technology and communication networks to live, work, socialize and remain informed and entertained through the use of online services via personal devices like pcs, smartphones and computer tablets. therefore online and other - off - branch modes of doing banking transactions have reduced the hassle of visiting a conventional bank branch to a considerable extent. ladies & gentlemen, pakistan is amongst the pioneers of mobile / branchless banking in the developing world. our branchless banking framework and models have achieved worldwide recognition and remarkable success in a short span of four and a half years. this could not have been possible without an effective and enabling regulatory regime, dynamic