KARACHI: HBL Microfinance Bank has begun disbursing Pakistan’s first climate-smart agriculture loans using satellite data in partnership with SUPARCO, marking a significant shift toward technology-driven, climate-resilient farming, according to a statement released on Monday.
Agriculture employs nearly half of Pakistan’s workforce yet remains highly exposed to climate shocks, making access to reliable and timely credit increasingly critical. Traditional agri-financing relies on manual field verification, leaving lenders unable to accurately assess crop health, land use or climate-related risks. The pilot, developed jointly with SUPARCO, the national space agency, aims to change that by using satellite imagery, remote-sensing analytics and crop monitoring to guide lending decisions, reduce loan risks and support farmers facing rising weather volatility.
With agriculture forming a major share of employment and GDP, the shift toward climate-smart, data-driven financing is seen as essential for improving resilience, modernizing rural credit systems and expanding access to finance for smallholders. The HBL Microfinance Bank–SUPARCO collaboration is expected to serve as a template for scaling satellite-enabled agricultural lending nationwide.
