Zohra Akhtar

Pakistani entrepreneur who founded South Asia's first women's cooperative bank

Zohra Akhtar (1912-1990) was a pioneering Pakistani businesswoman who broke gender barriers in finance. In 1957, she established the Women's Bank Limited - the first financial institution in South Asia exclusively managed and operated by women. This groundbreaking initiative provided economic independence to over 50,000 women by 1970 through microloans and business training programs. Akhtar's innovative banking model inspired similar initiatives across Asia and Africa.

Beyond banking, she founded the Karachi Women's Chamber of Commerce in 1965, creating networks for female entrepreneurs. Her 1968 book Women in Pakistan's Economy remains a key resource on gender economics. Akhtar's legacy includes the Zohra Akhtar Entrepreneurship Fund and the 2015 documentary Breaking the Coin about her life. Her work laid the foundation for modern microfinance systems used by organizations like Grameen Bank today.