IBA-CED, UNDP Pakistan and JS Bank collaboratively organized SDGs Innovative Financing Challenge Cup’s Capacity Building Workshop

May 11-12, 2024: IBA-CED, UNDP Pakistan and JS Bank launched the SDGs Innovative Financing Challenge Cup to foster climate resilience and innovative climate financing in Pakistan.

The challenge opened doors for SMEs working innovatively and passionately for climate-sustainable solutions. Out of the 200+ SMEs that applied from more than 20 cities across Pakistan, 30 promising projects were shortlisted to participate in a two-day capacity building workshop at the IBA Main Campus.

The two-day workshop featured esteemed speakers, including Dr. Lalarukh Ejaz, Director, IBA-CED; Umer Malik, Policy Analyst, UNDP; Jafar Raza, Group Head of Investment, International & Transactional Banking at JS Bank; and Rabia Khatak, Head, Diversity and Inclusion, Jazz.

Dr. Ejaz expressed gratitude to the partners for their invaluable support. She also commended participants for their selection to the SDGs Innovative Financing Challenge Cup and capacity-building workshop, recognizing it as an opportunity to contribute to climate action.

Mr. Malik emphasized that Pakistan has a growing entrepreneurial and digital ecosystem, that needs to be leveraged with the support of private sector through capacity building and innovative financing for national recovery and growth. Through this challenge, the partners are introducing an innovative blended finance model merging UNDP grants with private sector investments via subsidized loans to generate SDGs and climate resilient impact.

Mr. Raza highlighted the bank's collaboration with UNDP, directing investments towards SDG-aligned projects. He emphasized that initiatives such as the Innovation Challenge Cup foster innovation and capacity-building, highlighting JS Bank's leadership in SME lending and combating climate change, thereby fostering economic growth and sustainability across Pakistan.

The sessions covered a diverse range of topics including Innovative Leadership, Strategic Innovation, Scaling Business Models, Financial Strategies, Sustainability Integration, Intellectual Property Strategy, and Pitching for Growth.

The next phase of the Challenge Cup will identify the top twelve projects, which will then compete for further support and investment opportunities. Trainers included Dr. Asad Ilyas, Registrar IBA; Rabia Khatak, Head, Diversity and Inclusion, JAZZ; Dr. Kamran Mumtaz, Assistant Professor, SBS-IBA; Kanza Sohail, Lecturer SBS-IBA; Hamid Rasheed, Climate Finance Expert, SDG Investments and Climate Financing Facility; Abdullah Altaf, Unit Head, Venture Capital, Investment Banking Group, JS Bank; Atif Murtaza, Lecturer SBS-IBA; Shahbano Khan, Gender and Financing for Development Officer, SDG Investments and Climate Financing Facility, UNDP; Faisal Jalal, Visiting Faculty IBA/Founder, FJ Holdings; Kamran, Project Finance Expert, SDG Investments and Climate Financing Facility, UNDP; Mubariz Siddiqui, Lawyer and Founder, Carbon Law; Dr. Owais Shaikh, IP Expert/WIPO Consultant; and Hassan Khan, Founder PegaSync.

IBA-CED, UNDP Pakistan and JS Bank collaboratively organized SDGs Innovative Financing Challenge Cup’s Capacity Building Workshop
IBA-CED, UNDP Pakistan and JS Bank collaboratively organized SDGs Innovative Financing Challenge Cup’s Capacity Building Workshop
IBA-CED, UNDP Pakistan and JS Bank collaboratively organized SDGs Innovative Financing Challenge Cup’s Capacity Building Workshop
IBA-CED, UNDP Pakistan and JS Bank collaboratively organized SDGs Innovative Financing Challenge Cup’s Capacity Building Workshop
IBA-CED, UNDP Pakistan and JS Bank collaboratively organized SDGs Innovative Financing Challenge Cup’s Capacity Building Workshop
IBA-CED, UNDP Pakistan and JS Bank collaboratively organized SDGs Innovative Financing Challenge Cup’s Capacity Building Workshop