Visa and HBL Relaunch ‘She’s Next’ in Pakistan to Empower Women

Visa, a global leader in digital payments, and HBL, Pakistan’s premier private sector bank, announce the return of She’s Next. She’s Next is a global advocacy program that spotlights women entrepreneurs who are actively financing, managing, and expanding their businesses. The initiative provides $50,000 in grants, training, and mentorship opportunities to help women-led businesses grow.

Applications for the 2025 program are now open and will close on December 24, 2025.

Recognising their pivotal role as catalysts for economic and social development, women-led businesses are increasingly shaping Pakistan’s economy. They come with a distinct blend of resilience, social consciousness, and technological adoption.

In 2024, the program received over 2,500 applications, culminating in the selection of five women entrepreneurs. These included Ziana Sakhia (Bechlo), Sadaf Rehman (CodeSchool), Rida Zainab (Porter Pakistan), Ayesha Awan (SocialBlu), and Hira Javaid (Foster Learning). Each secured funding collectively worth USD 50,000, training, and networking opportunities.

To cater to the impressive demand, She’s Next will once again invite women entrepreneurs from all industries and sectors in Pakistan to apply on the official website for a chance to receive grants worth a total of USD 50,000 (USD 10,000 each). Winners will also receive a range of benefits. These include a tailored training program, mentoring opportunities, and access to She’s Next Club resources, including a workshop library and a community of entrepreneurs. Applications are open from today until December 24, 2025.

Umar S. Khan, Country Manager for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Visa, said:

She’s Next, unlocking the boundless potential of every Pakistani woman, providing the essential stepping stone for women-led businesses to scale and expand collectively. Our inaugural program attracted over 2,500 applications, reflecting the deep entrepreneurial spirit and hunger for growth among women across the country. That excitement translated to real impact as the winners’ businesses are thriving and driving digital transformation in sectors like fashion, health, education, and technology. We’re excited to bring She’s Next back to Pakistan and uplevel the new cohort of winners.
We also ran a new edition of the Visa & HBL Women SMB Digitization Index this year, which highlighted the positive economic impact of women entrepreneurs. Despite their own personal hurdles and personal growth ambitions, women business owners are motivated by financial independence, and a deep desire to create supportive work environments which uplift societies – an ethos that is very close to Visa’s own mission of uplifting everyone, everywhere. What’s been great to see is that women entrepreneurs are integrating payment technologies and artificial intelligence to overcome obstacles and drive their businesses forward, which really shows their progressive mindset.

Aamir Kureshi, Head Products Transactional Services & Solution Delivery, HBL, said:

We are proud to renew our support for the She’s Next global advocacy program again this year. At HBL, we celebrate the strength and spirit of women entrepreneurs and are committed to increasing their participation in the Pakistan economy. The Visa & HBL Women SMB Digitization Index revealed that women entrepreneurs actively seek guidance and support from mentors and financial advisors and are keen to receive training from major financial institutions. Keeping this in mind, this year, we aim to increase our efforts at providing them with relevant programs that build skillsets for growth and success and connect them with a carefully curated list of mentors.”

Key findings from the Visa & HBL Women SMB Digitization Index

Visa & HBL ran the Women SMB Digitization Index in 2025, which surveyed Pakistani women business owners who hold a notable share of senior leadership roles to have a better understanding of the motivations and challenges of this important group. The Index scores businesses based on five indicators: online presence, digital payments acceptance, payment security awareness, customer engagement, and customer retention.

Business challenges, motivations, and support

• Women entrepreneurs face gender bias (79%), with common perceptions questioning their confidence in negotiations (30%), ability to scale businesses (29%), and leadership skills (26%).
• Despite their ambition, 53% of women entrepreneurs identify achieving rapid business growth and raising capital/accessing funding as significant hurdles.
• Women heavily rely on business mentors or coaches (40%) for advice.
• The top three drivers for women entrepreneurs in Pakistan, while setting up their venture, include financial independence (39%), leadership aspirations (24%), and personal growth (22%).
• 90% women entrepreneurs are interested in joining a training program provided by a major financial institution to improve their understanding of payment-related topics.

Business funding and financial support

• Women entrepreneurs primarily fund their businesses through personal savings (62%) and family support (51%).
• When additional funding becomes available, women prioritise initiatives directly linked to growth and scaling, with 31% allocating funds to creating new products or services and entering new segments or markets, and 28% investing in advertising and marketing.
• Women prioritise their human capital when allocating additional funding, with 28% investing in increasing employee salaries and 17% in staff expansion.
• Women-led SMBs rely on family and friends (26%), financial advisors (25%), and mentors or coaches (14%).

Sales and payment channels and security

• Women-led businesses demonstrate a strategic balance for wider market penetration, with 59% utilising both offline and online sales channels, and online sales contributing a significant 51% of their revenue.
• A notable 10% of women entrepreneurs operate exclusively on a cashless basis, significantly higher than their male counterparts, showcasing a strong commitment to digital finance.
• Women entrepreneurs are highly aware of cyber threats, with nearly three in 10 women proactively addressing risks like phishing, ransomware, and malware.
• Women-led businesses prioritise securing digital payment transactions through employee training (57%), data protection (52%), and advanced security measures (54%) like tokenisation and encryption.

Data analytics, AI integration, and future initiatives

• Women are at the forefront of AI adoption, using Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools like ChatGPT (49%), utilising data analytics and pattern recognition (43%), and employing chatbots or virtual assistants (43%).
• The use of AI has transformed various business processes, with notable improvements in customer service (81%), data analysis and decision-making (77%), product development (72%), and sales and marketing (69%).
• In the critical area of payments, AI is a game-changer, with 53% reporting increased accuracy in transactions, 52% benefiting from enhanced fraud detection, and 50% seeing automated payment tasks.
• Looking ahead, 62% of women plan to invest in training business leadership/employees in digital initiatives, and 14% intend to invest in AI and advanced analytics or automation of business processes.