ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin has appreciated Finca Microfinance Bank for reaching out to the remote areas of Pakistan where the formal banking sector is not available.

During a meeting with the delegation of Finca Microfinance Bank led by its global chief executive officer Andree Simon, Tarin said that the government is ready to provide all-out support and cooperation to the microfinance banking sector in Pakistan.

He welcomed the Finca Microfinance Bank in Pakistan and said that the present government is determined to uplift the living standards of the under-privileged, especially in the rural areas.

Therefore, the government is encouraging foreign investment, focusing on increasing the footprints of the microfinance banking in Pakistan for stimulating economic activity in the country, he added.

Andree Simon briefed about the operation of the Finca Microfinance Bank of Pakistan and apprised that the bank is working to provide microfinance services to the under-privileged segments of the society.

She said the bank is operating in 20 developing countries in the world, including Pakistan with 130 branches across the country and is very keen to expand its operations here.

Finca Global considers Pakistan as a very promising market for its operations. The delegation thanked the adviser for unstinting support to the microfinance sector, in general, and to Finca Microfinance Bank in Pakistan, in particular.

The Finance Division secretary and other senior officers were also present in the meeting.