The Norwegian Minister for Environment and International Development Erik Solheim visited a Telenor Pakistan easypaisa retail outlet at a local market today.
He was accompanied by Norwegian Ambassador to Pakistan Robert Kvile and Chief Strategy Officer & VP Corporate Affairs Telenor Pakistan Aamir Ibrahim. The minister is in Pakistan to see ongoing flood relief and rehabilitation activities. Norway has contributed 400 million Norwegian Kroners (USD67 million) for Pakistan’s flood affected.
Talking to the media the minister appreciated Telenor Pakistan’s contribution to the flood relief activities. “I am happy to see that Telenor is actively contributing to social causes in Pakistan. The Norwegian government and people of Norway will always stand beside our Pakistani friends in their hour of need.”
Telenor Pakistan’s Aamir Ibrahim speaking on the occasion said: “Branchless banking solutions like easypaisa can not only address the lack of financial inclusion in Pakistan but can also potentially help generate and disburse funds to the disaster affected people.”
Easypaisa, launched in October 2009, aims to offer financial inclusion to Pakistan’s population, a large majority of which is currently unserved. The recently launched easypaisa Donation Service was used to collect funds for the flood affected people.
Easypaisa is available in 700 locations across Pakistan. With 11,000 agents, 1 million transactions a month, and Rs 10 billion worth of transaction since launch, the service is helping to provide people with much needed financial services.