HugoBank Begins Pilot Onboarding for Digital Retail Banking in Pakistan

HugoBank has begun actively onboarding approved internal pilot participants onto its digital banking platform, advancing its plan to offer digital retail banking services in Pakistan. The move follows approval from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to start controlled pilot operations as a Digital Retail Bank under a Restricted Licence.

The bank opened its first pilot customer account on 25 September 2026, beginning live onboarding within the scope approved by the regulator. With this step, HugoBank is shifting from preparation and testing into practical banking journeys, bringing its technology, operational processes and customer service capabilities together in a live environment.

The controlled pilot is designed to let the bank evaluate the full end-to-end banking experience, covering account opening and transaction journeys as well as customer support and operational performance. Feedback and insights gathered from live operations will be used to identify improvements, refine services and strengthen readiness for wider commercial availability.

"Our ambition is to make banking easier to access and simpler to use for people across Pakistan," said Asim Hassan, Chief Executive Officer of HugoBank Pakistan. "With pilot onboarding now underway, we are taking a practical step towards that ambition and learning from participants' experience of the platform. Every account opened gives us an opportunity to assess how well our technology, processes and people work together."

HugoBank says its approach centres on simplifying banking around evolving customer needs, with security, ease of use and dependable service guiding the development of its platform. The pilot allows the bank to test these priorities through real user experiences and make adjustments before expanding access.

Participation in the pilot remains limited to approved internal participants. Broader commercial operations will be subject to the required regulatory approvals, the bank said. HugoBank continues to work towards its longer-term goal of making banking more accessible and convenient, supporting financial inclusion and contributing to Pakistan's growing digital banking landscape.