As the FIFA World Cup 2026 draws to a close, conversations inevitably centre on tactics, star players and the team that will lift the trophy. Yet one of the tournament’s most remarkable stories isn’t about football at all, it’s about manufacturing.
For the last 44 years, Sialkot has handcrafted footballs used on the world’s biggest sporting stage, placing Pakistani craftsmanship at the heart of one of sport’s most celebrated events. Today, this one city supplies 70% of the world’s football, supplying global brands including Nike, Adidas, Puma and Select, while contributing nearly USD 2.5 billion in annual exports – almost 10% of Pakistan’s export base. Yet the bigger story is not the ball. It is how one Pakistani city became a global manufacturing powerhouse.
The story behind the rise of Sialkot took years of persistence and devotion. Long before ‘startups’ became part of our business vocabulary, generations of entrepreneurs transformed family-run workshops into globally competitive enterprises, exporting sports goods, surgical instruments, leather products and engineering solutions to markets around the world. Even Pakistan’s first privately funded international airport was not the result of circumstance, it was built because local businesses refused to let inadequate infrastructure stand in the way of global trade.
Throughout my career, I have often reflected on how different our entrepreneurial landscape might have looked if earlier generations of innovators had access to today’s digital tools, structured mentorship, formal financing and institutional support. Many professionals of my generation-built businesses through persistence and resilience because ecosystems that could systematically nurture innovation were still evolving.
Pakistan is home to more than five million small and medium-sized enterprises. Together, they generate around 40% of our GDP and employ nearly four out of every five people working outside agriculture[1]. Yet despite being the backbone of our economy, they continue to account for less than 8% of private sector bank lending.
In addition to being a large financing gap, it also presents an infrastructure gap because when entrepreneurs cannot access the networks, mentorship, technology and capital they need to grow, the economy doesn’t simply lose businesses, it loses ideas that never become industries, innovations that never reach markets, and jobs that are never created.
In recent times, several global banks have expanded their role beyond providing finance to supporting entrepreneurs at the earliest stages of their journey. Institutions such as Banco Santander through Santander X and Barclays with Eagle Labs have shown that incubation is a strategic way to strengthen the SME ecosystem, encourage business formalization, and accelerate digital adoption. As these businesses grow, they develop into long-term banking relationships, creating value for both the financial institution and the wider economy. In an increasingly digital financial landscape, incubation has become an effective way for banks to foster innovation while contributing to sustainable economic growth. This is where our country has work to do. Pakistan has never had a shortage of talent or resources. What has been missing are the tools, platforms and resources to harness the potential from them. This country today is one of the youngest in the world, with a rapidly expanding digital economy and an entrepreneurial culture that continues to evolve. Small and medium enterprises already contribute significantly to our economy, creating employment, driving exports, and supporting millions of livelihoods. Yet countless promising businesses continue to face familiar obstacles: limited access to finance, fragmented support systems, insufficient market linkages, and few opportunities to translate innovation into commercial success.
If we want the next chapter of Pakistan’s economic growth to look different from the last, we must stop thinking of entrepreneurship as the responsibility of individuals alone. We need to enable it at a national level, treating it as a strong economic indicator for progress.
This belief is precisely why the Mobilink Bank-led consortium, including our implementation partner Cybervision International, has been awarded the mandate by Ignite under the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, to establish and operate the National Incubation Center (NIC) Sialkot. For us, this initiative represents a broader conviction that institutions must evolve from simply financing businesses to enabling them, holistically.
In addition to providing a state-of-the-art workspace, the startups will receive sector-specific mentorship, business development support, access to investors, market linkages and technical guidance to transform promising ideas into commercially viable businesses, all of it through a structured incubation program. Mobilink Bank brings another important dimension to this ecosystem. Beyond financing, entrepreneurs gain access to digital payments through Pakistan’s largest fintech platform, SME financing expertise, business advisory services, and relationships that help startups become investment-ready. We are also in the midst of setting up our SME Experience Centre, located in the same building as NIC Sialkot, to further provide founders with direct access to financial guidance as they scale their businesses.
Today’s entrepreneurs require much more than capital. They need mentors who can help refine their ideas, digital infrastructure that allows them to transact seamlessly, access to investors who can fuel expansion, guidance on navigating export markets, and financial partners who understand the realities of building a business from the ground up. True entrepreneurship is supported by an ecosystem where these elements work together rather than in isolation.
That philosophy continues to shape how we view our own role. With Mobilink Bank, we are pursuing a mission of not just enabling established businesses but facilitating startups to get off the ground as well. We firmly believe that financial inclusion, digital innovation, responsible lending and entrepreneurial development are not separate ambitions. They are different expressions of the same objective: building an economy where businesses of every size can participate, compete and grow.
Every generation inherits unfinished work. Ours inherited an economy rich in entrepreneurial spirit but constrained by gaps in access, opportunity, and institutional support. The responsibility before us is not simply to celebrate what Pakistan has, but to build systems that can enable growth. If Pakistan can unlock the potential of even a fraction of its 5.2 million SMEs, the impact will extend far beyond economic growth. It will reshape employment, exports, innovation and long-term national competitiveness.
If the next generation begins its entrepreneurial journey with stronger financial infrastructure, better mentorship, wider digital access, and more opportunities than the one before it, we will have achieved something far more meaningful than launching a successful program or financing another business. We would have helped build an ecosystem where innovation is encouraged and rewarded.
That, ultimately, is the kind of progress that endures.
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*Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary is President and CEO of Mobilink Bank. With over 23 years of experience in banking, finance, public policy, and digital financial services, he is a strong advocate for financial inclusion, innovation, and women’s economic empowerment.
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Reassessing Ease of Doing Business: A Scorecard Analysis of Small-Medium Enterprises (SMES) in Pakistan ↑
