Ashfaque Ahmed, Chief Officer of aik, highlighted the critical role of digital transformation in expanding the reach and impact of Islamic banking across Pakistan at a panel during UNConference 2026, sharing his perspective on how technology can bridge the gap between traditional Shariah-compliant finance and the requirements of a modern, digital-first economy. For Paklaunch’s flagship event, aik and BankIslami joined hands to promote the country’s tech ecosystem and enable collaborative growth.
UNConference 26, powered by aik digital, was held at Mövenpick Centaurus Mall in Islamabad on April 29 and 30, 2026, bringing together 100 selected founders, investors, and leaders for two days of high-value partnership building, direct investment access, and relationship development within Pakistan’s startup ecosystem. The event held particular significance as April 29 marked the sixth anniversary of Paklaunch, which was founded on that same date in 2020 as a single WhatsApp group of seven friends. Unlike traditional conferences, UNConference 26 followed an open-space format where participants co-created the agenda on the day of the event, with no predetermined speakers or panels and every attendee serving as both a participant and a potential session leader.
The two-day event gathered a wide group of founders, investors, and policymakers to discuss the growth of Pakistan’s startup landscape, with a specific focus on fintech, artificial intelligence, and digital investment trends. During the discussions, Ashfaque addressed the practical necessity of modernizing financial infrastructure to improve how entrepreneurs and individuals interact with banking services. His remarks carried particular weight given aik’s position as Pakistan’s first Islamic digital banking platform, an institution that has had to navigate the dual challenge of building user trust in a new digital model while remaining true to the Shariah-compliant principles that define its product architecture and customer proposition.
The partnership between aik, BankIslami, and Paklaunch at UNConference 26 reflects a broader convergence between Pakistan’s Islamic finance sector and its startup and technology community. Through aik, BankIslami has been focused on making Shariah-compliant digital banking simple, accessible, and relevant to customers across Pakistan, including rural and underserved segments who have historically been excluded from formal finance despite the country’s large Muslim majority population. As Pakistan’s startup ecosystem matures and fintech continues to attract growing investor attention, the presence of an Islamic digital banking platform at the centre of the country’s most prominent innovation gathering signals that Shariah-compliant financial services are no longer a niche consideration but an increasingly central part of the conversation about Pakistan’s digital economic future.
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