Making the invisible, visible

Empowering women to claim what is rightfully theirs

As women move through grief, loss, or trauma after the death of a family member, they also face economic insecurity, discrimination, stigmatization, and harmful traditional practices, according to UN Women.¹ The problem of women’s rights when it comes to claiming their rightful share of inheritance has ramifications beyond financial stability, making a tool like Mobilink’s inheritance calculator a real pathway to empowerment. By ensuring that women in Pakistan are equipped with the information they need regarding their inheritance rights, Mobilink Bank is supporting women to take agency and pave the way for a future where every woman knows her worth and her rights.

In Pakistan, estimates suggest that a significant majority of women are deprived of their rightful share of inheritance every year. According to different experts and humanitarian observers like UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, in many cases, women are denied their inheritance after the death of a father or spouse due to social norms, dowries or pressure from family members. The problem, which affects women in many other regions across the world, is even more acute in rural areas, where a very limited number of women inherit agricultural land or a house. Despite constitutional provisions granting women the right to own and inherit property, many often don’t have the understanding, the tools, or the support to enforce these rights.

This is a reality that the team at Mobilink Bank, a subsidiary of VEON and the sister company of Pakistan’s digital operator Jazz, wanted to change through Invisible Heirs, an impactful campaign targeted to raise awareness and inspire women to challenge the status quo. 

Sara Kayani, Mobilink Bank’s Head of Marketing and Communications, came up with the idea for the campaign after going through her own personal experience when she lost her father a few months ago. “When my father passed away, I learned first-hand how difficult the inheritance allocation process is. However, I quickly realized that what I experienced was just the tip of the iceberg. For most people in Pakistan, it was excruciatingly difficult, especially for the underserved communities and, even more, for women.,” Sara explains. 

An empowering, inspiring campaign 

As part of the campaign, the company launched an inheritance calculator, accessible through Mobilink Bank’s Dost app on smartphones and the bank’s website. This tool empowers women to claim their rightful legacy by helping them easily calculate their inheritance rights. 

In addition to the new digital tool, Mobilink Bank also produced an impactful video highlighting the challenges women face when affected by inheritance issues and illustrating the extent of the problem in Pakistan. The video, which showcases extremely relatable realities, seeks to encourage an open a dialogue about the problem and, importantly, inspire women to take action. 

Sara, who has been following the impact of the campaign since its launch, explains that the company has already seen very robust results which demonstrate the magnitude of the problem of inheritance, but, importantly, the potential of tools like this to support and grow women’s financial inclusion: “With the Inheritance Calculator, anyone can easily calculate their share of inheritance with just a few inputs and better understand where they stand. In just over a month, we have seen 103% increase in accounts opened, 31% increase in female user engagement, and the inheritance calculator being used 161% more than any other feature on the app.” 

Earlier in October, the GSMA, the global organization for the mobile ecosystem, chose the campaign as one of the winners of its prestigious M360 Digital Nations Awards which seeks to recognize the industry’s vital role in providing access to critical information, delivering digital inclusion, connecting the unconnected, and supporting sustainable economic growth. 

Invisible Heirs is just one example of the many initiatives and campaigns that have been launched by VEON and its subsidiaries, targeted to helping and empowering disadvantaged groups through financial inclusion. Mobilink Bank, which is now Pakistan’s leading digital microfinance bank, has been focused on developing a strong and far-reaching network to provide banking services to small and medium enterprises and underserved groups, especially women. With 109 branches and over 245,000 branchless banking agents across the country, the company launched the Women Inspirational Network (WIN) program which has, so far, empowered over 5,000 female entrepreneurs with essential digital and business skills. 

Mobilink Bank has also been recognized for its efforts in driving financial inclusion with multiple awards. In 2024, it won the coveted ‘Best Microfinance Bank’ award at the Pakistan Banking Awards and the ‘Best Bank for Inclusion,’ in the 2023 edition of the Awards. Mobilink Bank has also received the National Financial Literacy Program Award from the State Bank of Pakistan. The Bank also tops the “Banking on Equality” scorecard by the State Bank of Pakistan, surpassing all commercial and microfinance banks operating in the country.

¹UN Women Explainer: Explainer: What you should know about widowhood. https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2021/6/explainer-what-you-should-know-about-widowhood