KARACHI: Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) and 786 Investments Ltd. joined forces with LADIESFUND to host the She Invests: LADIESFUND Smart Woman Money Masterclass at the Dr. Shamshad Akhtar Auditorium, Pakistan Stock Exchange, Karachi, bringing together more than 140 women from leading Pakistani corporations and diverse professional and personal backgrounds for an engaging conversation around earning, saving, investing and building long-term wealth.
The event also marked the launch of LADIESFUND Investments, the women-focused investment initiative of 786 Investments Ltd., structured around three stages of women’s financial growth and trajectory, with the mission “Where Women Build Wealth,” as well as the launch of She Invests, a PSX financial literacy training series for women. Participants were also provided with a QR code to take their first step towards investing immediately.
Farrukh H. Sabzwari, Managing Director & CEO of Pakistan Stock Exchange, said, “It was wonderful to see the PSX auditorium filled with women ready to take ownership of their financial futures. With the launch of the PSX She Invests Series, we are making a clear commitment: women, who make up nearly half our population, remain underrepresented as investors. At PSX, we believe they should be active participants in Pakistan’s capital markets. Through this Series, we want to make investing more accessible, understandable, and empowering, so that more women can move from saving to investing and building lasting wealth. This is the first of many sessions, which we will take to women’s chambers of commerce, academic institutions, and women-led organisations across the country. My thanks to our partner for this session, LADIESFUND & 786 Investments Ltd., for helping bring this important conversation to the Exchange.”
Tara Uzra Dawood, CEO, 786 Investments Ltd
and LADIESFUND Investments, said, “For generations, women have been taught how to earn money, save money and spend money but not necessarily how to own money, invest it and make it grow. We want to change that. LADIESFUND Investments is about moving women from financial dependence to financial ownership. Whether you are starting with Rs. 1,000 or managing millions, the most important investment you can make is in yourself and then in making your money work for you.”
Under LADIESFUND Investments’ theme “Where Women Build Wealth,” the programme challenged traditional attitudes towards women and money and encouraged participants to think beyond simply earning an income or keeping savings in a bank account. Instead, women were encouraged to understand how money can work for them, how capital markets operate, and how to begin investing through LADIESFUND Investments from a simple online QR code to more private, exclusive investment advisory and wealth management services.
A highlight of the programme was a fireside conversation with Sima Kamil, former President, UBL Bank, on “How to Build Wealth During the Career Trajectory.” Drawing on her decades of leadership experience in banking and finance, she encouraged women to begin building wealth early and make financial decisions throughout their careers.
Sima Kamil said, “Wealth is built throughout your career, not at the end of it. I am delighted to see LADIESFUND Investments putting women’s financial inclusion at the heart of investing, with an entire mutual fund and investment platform focused on women. Women need to start early, understand their options and make their money work for them.”
Hena Sadiq, Partner, Yousuf Adil, said, “Women should feel confident knowing that their investments are part of a highly regulated and independently overseen ecosystem. With mutual funds there are multiple layers of accountability including Shariah oversight and audit, independent financial audit, SECP regulation and regulatory oversight, and ratings. And when an asset management company itself is a publicly listed company on the Pakistan Stock Exchange. This combination of governance, transparency and independent oversight gives women greater confidence to take that first step towards investing.”
The programme also featured Sharmeen Ahmed, Topline Securities, who welcomed women to the capital markets and encouraged participants to take the practical next step of opening a trading account.
Sharmeen Ahmed said, “The capital market can feel intimidating when you have never entered it, but opening a trading account is actually a very simple first step. You do not need to be a financial expert to become an investor. What you need is the willingness to start, learn and stay invested. We want women to know that the Stock Exchange is not a men’s club there is a place here for them.”
Moneeza Butt, Partner, KPMG, who led a Fireside Chat with Ms. Ahmed, said “Women need to start investing in the capital markets, whether directly through brokerage or through mutual funds like LADIESFUND Investments.”
A key focus of the event was breaking down the barriers that often prevent women from taking control of their financial futures including the belief that a father, husband or family will always provide financial security; the tendency to postpone financial planning; the misconception that investing is complicated; and uncertainty about how to select and trust a professional to manage investments.
Through lively and highly interactive audience segments, there was no topic off limits from pressures from in-laws and family expectations to why every woman needs a financial plan, the difference between money and wealth, and how women can begin investing without needing to become financial experts themselves.
Participants were introduced to practical concepts around investment, capital markets, money-market instruments and Shariah-compliant investment opportunities, with an emphasis on making financial terminology easier for first-time and aspiring women investors to understand.
The event further spotlighted two exciting initiatives under development between LADIESFUND Investments and PSX the LADIESFUND Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), envisioned as Pakistan’s first gender-focused ETF, as well as the proposed LADIESFUND Green Gender Bond. The proposed ETF aims to provide investors exposure to strong-performing listed companies while incorporating a focus on companies demonstrating meaningful commitment to women, gender inclusion and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), while the proposed Green Gender Bond aims to connect sustainable and climate-focused investment with measurable opportunities for women, bringing together green finance, gender equality and Shariah-compliant investment principles.
The initiatives reflect a broader ambition: to make women’s participation in Pakistan’s capital markets not an exception, but part of everyday financial life.
The collaboration between LADIESFUND and PSX represents a shared commitment to increasing women’s financial literacy and participation in Pakistan’s formal investment ecosystem enabling more women to move from earning money to owning, investing and building wealth.