​Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL along with valued clients and senior leadership of the Bank at the inauguration of HBL Prestige Lounge located in Gulberg, Lahore.

​Lahore, September 29, 2021

​HBL inaugurated its new Prestige Lounge located in Gulberg, Lahore. This is the third HBL Prestige Lounge in the city and the eighth across the country with future plans to expand the Prestige footprint. The inauguration was led by Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL. Valued clients and senior leadership of the Bank was also present on the occasion.

HBL Prestige provides a world-class banking experience to high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs). This exclusive proposition offers tailored solutions through dedicated digital & physical channels and portfolio managers who provide personalized banking services to its clients. The state-of-the-art Prestige Lounges are located strategically in high visibility areas of key cities.

Commenting on the occasion, Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL said, “HBL is committed to providing a wide array of financial services to its extensive clientele. HBL Prestige is exclusively designed to meet the financial and lifestyle needs of the Bank’s high-net-worth clients, providing them with par excellence services. HBL Prestige promises to deliver an incomparable value proposition with a number of industry firsts as it remains true to its motto of ‘With you, in what you value’.”

Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO - HBL (sitting on the left) and Farrukh Khan, MD & CEO PSX (sitting on the right) signing the agreement on behalf of their organizations.

​Karachi, April 22, 2021

A Gong Ceremony was held at Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) to welcome HBL on-board as a Market Maker for debt securities on PSX. An agreement was signed between PSX and HBL today at PSX Trading Hall whereby HBL becomes Market Maker for debt instruments listed on PSX. The agreement was signed between Mr. Farrukh H. Khan, MD & CEO, Pakistan Stock Exchange, and Mr. Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO- HBL. Also present at the ceremony were the Board of Directors of PSX and senior management of both the organizations.

​On this occasion, Mr. Farrukh Khan, the MD & CEO of PSX, said, “This is a very important step in developing collaboration between the banking sector and capital markets. Development of debt markets is an important strategic objective of PSX and critical for the economic growth of Pakistan. Hence, it is a very positive development that the largest bank of Pakistan is coming onboard as designated Market Maker for debt securities listed on PSX. Habib Bank, which was also the first company to be listed on the Stock Exchange, is now going to act as market maker for corporate and government debt securities listed on PSX”. He further stated, “We are confident that Habib Bank as market maker will add to the depth and development of the debt capital market of Pakistan. I congratulate and welcome HBL in their new role as Market Maker”.

​Mr. Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO - HBL, added, “Today’s signing ceremony marks the commencement of a market-making relationship between HBL and the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). This is a historic moment, and we are grateful for PSX’ continued trust in the Bank. The arrangement allows investors to buy and sell debt securities with HBL willing to act as a buyer and/or seller. This will not only increase the attraction for debt instruments as an investable asset and add greater liquidity to the Exchange but will also pave the way to enhance the outreach of the debt market. We look forward to building a strong relationship with the Pakistan Stock Exchange and continue to play our role in developing the economy of the country.”

​Market Makers perform the crucial role of providing liquidity and depth to the market by facilitating investors to buy & sell securities through continuously quoting two-way prices, i.e., bid and offer prices.

​From Left to Right (sitting): Farid Alam, CEO - AKD Securities, Aamir Irshad, Head - Corporate, Commercial & Investment Banking - HBL, Fayyaz Ahmad Jarral, CFO - FF Steel, Saad Ur Rahman Khan, Group Head - Corporate, Investment Banking and International Business - Bank Alfalah and Atif M. Khan, CEO - Alfalah CLSA.

From Left to Right (standing): ​Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, Chairman - AKD Securities, Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO - HBL, Zarak K. Khattak, CEO - FF Steel, Nauman Wazir, Chairman - FF Steel, Atif Bajwa, President & CEO - Bank Alfalah and Ali Ansari, Chairman - Alfalah CLSA.

​Karachi, September 27, 2021

​Frontier Foundry Steel (FF Steel), one of Pakistan’s leading and fastest growing steel manufacturers and Financial Advisory Consortium held a signing ceremony for the award of mandate for the upcoming listing of FF Steel on Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).

A Financial Advisory Consortium (FAC), comprising of HBL, Bank Alfalah Limited, AKD Securities Limited, and Alfalah CLSA Securities Private Limited, has been engaged to advise the Company for listing at the local bourse.​

Nauman Wazir, Chairman - FF Steel, Zarak K. Khattak, CEO - FF Steel, Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL, Atif Bajwa, President & CEO - Bank Alfalah, Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, Chairman - AKD Securities, Ali Ansari, Chairman – Alfalah CLSA, and other senior team members of the FAC were present at the ceremony. The FAC together holds strong credentials with access to deep-rooted capital market investor base, both domestically and internationally.​

Incorporated in 1986, FF Steel produces top quality Grade-60 steel bars having plants in Peshawar and Lahore and ranks amongst the top three rebar manufacturers in Pakistan. The Company also intends to explore different opportunities in the South region. FF Steel, with its focus on achieving efficiency and capturing growth opportunities, has undertaken backward integration at its Lahore plant. The Company has also heavily invested in its IT infrastructure and boasts state of the art ERP system.​

Furthermore, FF Steel, due to its superior quality and strong brand value has already started exploring diversification into copper export business and steel bars export avenues regionally due to its favorable positioning (proximity to Central Asian countries), which can potentially unlock significant value for the Company in the future.​

Commenting on the occasion, Nauman Wazir, Chairman - FF Steel said, “Over the past 3 decades, FF Steel has built strong foundations through its systems and policies, team and market penetration; I am confident of a prosperous and secure future of the Company and its stakeholders. With the assistance of such a strong and professional FAC of HBL, BAFL, AKD and Alfalah CLSA, FF Steel will, Insha’Allah, be making a historic and one of the largest ever private sector IPOs in Pakistan”.​

HBL became the first Pakistani bank to open a branch and serve clients in Beijing, China’s capital city.

Karachi, 22 March 2021

The inauguration ceremony for HBL Beijing was attended by clients, regulators and senior executives of the Bank from across HBL’s international network. From Pakistan, Mr. Jameel Ahmad, Deputy Governor – State Bank of Pakistan, Mr. Sultan Ali Allana, Chairman - HBL, Mr. Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL, along with senior executives and HBL’s customers, virtually joined the ceremony. HBL Beijing offers a full range of products & services for the Bank’s esteemed clients.

HBL remains grateful to the Governments of Pakistan and China and the regulators for the trust and confidence they have reposed on the Bank, through the opening of the branch.

HBL has created history by being the first and only bank from Pakistan to have a branch in Beijing and one of the three banks from South Asia and MENA region to offer end-to-end RMB intermediation in China. Upon commencement of business, HBL Beijing has become HBL’s second branch and its managing branch in China; both branches in Beijing and Urumqi are equipped with foreign exchange and RMB license to better facilitate customers’ requirements in multiple currencies.

HBL’s presence in China will allow the bank to interact with State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and leading financial institutions involved in CPEC and across Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) corridors. China is a very important market for HBL not only in terms of the business in China and CPEC, but also for Chinese companies working on projects in countries across the HBL network.

Chairman HBL, Sultan Ali Allana said, “HBL’s journey in China began in 2005 when we established our Representative Office in Beijing. This was followed by the establishment of branch operations in Urumqi in 2017 and today we mark the commencement of our branch operations in Beijing. It is an extremely proud moment for us as we enhance our China franchise, and we look forward to playing a leading role in facilitating regional trade and serving our valued customers throughout HBL’s international network.”

Commenting on the branch opening, Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO, HBL said: “China is the second home market for HBL and we will grow our business in the country. China remains the lynchpin of HBL’s international strategy. We are grateful to the regulators for having granted us the branch license. They are very supportive of developing market-based capabilities and encouraging financial institutions like HBL to provide clients best-in-class product and services. HBL is the largest executor of CPEC related financing in Pakistan, and the Bank’s presence in China has put us in a unique position to connect our clients across the HBL network directly with the businesses in China.”

​Karachi, September 23, 2021

HBL, in a first of its kind partnership has enabled the acceptance of Finja Debit Cards on the Bank’s ATM network free of cost. Through this arrangement, the Finja Debit Card holders will have free access to HBL’s extensive network of over 2,100 ATMs, the largest in the country.

As part of expanding access to HBL’s banking technology, this cutting-edge facility will enable Finja Debit Card holders to process self-service transactions such as cash withdrawals and fund transfers without any cost via HBL’s ATM network.

This initiative furthers HBL’s vision of becoming a ‘Technology Company with a Banking License’, as it will facilitate in providing innovative solutions and unmatched open Application Programming Interface (API) banking services through the Bank’s digital assets like Konnect by HBL, Mobile and Internet Banking platforms for new-age companies and clients.

Commenting on the collaboration, Sagheer Mufti, Chief Operating Officer – HBL said, “HBL has taken one more step towards customer convenience by leveraging its digital platforms. The partnership with Finja will extend our business model by providing access to HBL’s vast network.”

Qasif Shahid, CEO & Co-Founder - Finja remarked, “Collaboration between banks and fintechs is imperative to foster the digital ecosystem and platform-based business models. HBL through this partnership is clearly leading the way.”

​Karachi, September 22, 2021

HBL is the supporting partner of the Pakistan Pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020. This initiative is in line with the Bank’s continuous support of Government of Pakistan’s vision to promote trade, commerce, investment and tourism.

The Dubai Expo 2020 will run for six months, starting on 1 October 2021. The event is about celebrating culture, collaboration and innovation. A state-of-the-art facility has been set up for the event hosting 192 country pavilions.

The Pakistan Pavilion has been designed and curated by leading architects, designers, visual artists and researchers. It presents the hidden treasures of Pakistan through an immersive, multi-sensory experience to explore the country’s cultural diversity, craftsmanship, economic potential and the dynamism of its people.

HBL is Pakistan’s leading, largest and oldest bank. The Bank firmly believes in Pakistan’s growth potential and investment opportunities. HBL continues to work towards a sustained economic and social uplift of the country. The Bank is confident that the Dubai Expo 2020 will attract investors to come and explore the untapped business and tourism potential of Pakistan.

Karachi, 28 July 2021

HBL has launched WhatsApp Banking for its customers enabling them to avail select banking services through the platform. The service is powered by E Ocean, a leading Cloud Communications provider.

HBL WhatsApp Banking solution facilitates one-to-one conversations with customers seamlessly, and responds to queries, real time in a secure way. Customers can simply send a message via WhatsApp to the HBL UAN number (021-111-111-425) and request for their account balance, acquire product information, inquire about Roshan Digital Account (RDA) Services, locate nearest ATMs and Branches and obtain responses to FAQs. Furthermore, RDA customers can also chat with live agents via this messaging application.

With the deployment of the of the WhatsApp Banking service, HBL has further solidified its customer-centric digital banking and aims to develop a deeper understanding of customer needs to serve them better by offering intuitive banking solutions.

Abrar Ahmed Mir, Chief Innovation & Financial Inclusion Officer – HBL, commenting on the deployment said, “We are happy to be partnering with eOcean for the deployment of the WhatsApp Banking service. This offering is a pivotal step in providing HBL’s customers, especially those who are frequent users of WhatsApp, seamless customer service through this Conversational Messaging platform. This is in line with the Bank’s

focus on keeping our customers at the forefront of our digital transformation journey and continuing to empower them with hassle-free, convenient lifestyle options.”

Altaf Siddiqui, Director of Pre-sales and Products at E Ocean said, “Being a first official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider in Pakistan, we are truly grateful and honored to partner with HBL for trusting us to deliver WhatsApp banking for its customers for a secure and seamless banking experience. At E Ocean we have witnessed first-hand the support and cooperation extended to us by HBL team to deliver a complex on-premises solution in record time.”

Muhammad Asad Khan, Head – Secured Assets Consumer Rural and SME Banking – HBL (sitting on Left) and Abdul Rab, Senior Manager Marketing and Sales – Indus Motor Company (sitting on Right) signing the agreement between the two organizations. Representatives from both the organizations were also present at the occasion.​

​Karachi, September 15, 2021

HBL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indus Motor Company Ltd. The MoU was signed by Muhammad Asad Khan, Head – Secured Assets, Consumer, Rural and SME Banking and Abdul Rab, Senior General Manager, Marketing and Sales - Indus Motors.

Through this agreement, HBL will facilitate its customers by providing them with exclusive financing and insurance rates on all Toyota variants. With this initiative, customers can avail preferential rates and priority delivery of their financing facility. The combined expertise of the companies will help save time, reduce hassle, and create a seamless purchase and financing. In addition, 50 authorized Dealerships and 35 TSURE (used certified vehicles) outlets will be utilized to offer leasing facilities.

This alliance will also facilitate Islamic Banking customers and highlight the distribution channel of windows and Islamic Banking branches that are catering to customer needs. Collaboration between conventional and Islamic Auto loans provides customers with various options to choose from.

Aamir Kureshi, Head – Consumer, Rural and SME Banking stated, “The importance of forging such strategic partnerships enables HBL to put the customer first, giving them options to choose between conventional and Islamic auto loans so we can facilitate our customers in every way possible.”

Abdul Rab, Senior General Manager, Marketing and Sales - Indus Motor, commented, “When two established giants, such as Toyota & HBL, in the auto finance industry join hands to form an alliance to provide an attractive offer, it creates an excitement amongst the consumers in the market. This was a long-awaited alliance and we are very excited for the outcome of this alliance.”

Karachi, 05 April 2021

HBL has joined forces with Hysab Kytab and launched the first comprehensive Personal Finance Manager (PFM) solution, offered by any bank in Pakistan. Hysab Kytab’s PFM (budgeting) tool is integrated into HBL Mobile and will enable all app users to take control of their financial wellbeing.

Reinforcing its passion for customer-centric digital banking under the slogan of ‘more than just banking’, HBL Mobile is tirelessly working towards developing a deeper understanding of customer needs in order to server them better by offering them intuitive banking solutions. Now, HBL Mobile users will be able to record and track expenses, create budgets in various categories, plan and track saving goals, and view all accounts in one place, amongst other features.

Commenting on this partnership Abrar Ahmed Mir, Chief Innovation and Financial Inclusion Officer - HBL said ‘’This partnership with Hysab Kytab is a pivotal step in providing our mobile banking users with a holistic view of their finances, and empowers our customers to make sound financial decisons. HBL continues to deliver innovative banking solutions, and this PFM will act as a key differentiator in our internet and mobile banking services.”

Veqar Islam, Head - Hysab Kytab stated ” Going live with HBL is a major milestone. Hysab Kytab is a PFM born in Pakistan and I thank HBL for trusting and selecting it for their own digital platforms. This is the kind of support that our local banks can offer to help Pakistan’s FinTech industry to grow and provide solution for the local requirements.”

We encourage our customers to login to the HBL Mobile app, click on ‘budget’ section and make use of this facility.