From Collapse To Comeback ft. Kabeer Naqvi | Full Episode

What does it take to rebuild confidence in a financial system that was never fully designed for the people it now needs to serve? In this episode of Candid with Sidra Iqbal, we sit down with Kabeer Naqvi, Entrepreneur in Residence at ABHI Group. From navigating institutional challenges to rethinking how credit actually reaches people, Kabeer shares an insider’s perspective on what it takes to build and sustain financial systems in a country where access to capital is still deeply unequal. This conversation goes beyond banking headlines and into the mechanics of real change, how institutions survive crises, how financial products evolve and why inclusion remains one of the biggest unfinished agendas in Pakistan’s economy. We talk about: •⁠ ⁠The real gaps inside Pakistan’s banking and microfinance system •⁠ ⁠The tension between digital banking and cash-based realities •⁠ ⁠Why women face structural barriers in accessing credit •⁠ ⁠Climate risk and its impact on financial systems •⁠ ⁠The future of fintech and ABHI’s evolving role in it At its core, this is a conversation about systems, behaviour, and the people who exist at the margins of formal finance and what it takes to finally bring them into the picture. Because the real question isn’t just how banks grow. It’s who they grow for. #CandidWithSidraIqbal #KabeerNaqvi #ABHI #ABHIBank #Microfinance #FinancialInclusion #FintechPakistan #PakistanEconomy #DigitalBanking #Investing #Finance #GrowingPakistan #sidraiqbal Subscribe ‪@SidraIqbal‬ 00:00-01:29 = Opening Highlights 01:30-07:02 = Microfinance Is Pakistan’s Biggest Untapped Opportunity 07:03-10:34 = The Banking Gap No One Was Solving 10:35-12:46 = Turning 3-Month Loans into 12-Month Growth 12:47-13:42 = The Tough Call to Cut Incentives 13:43-16:26 = The Moment Abhi Almost Gave Up 16:27-17:17 = Managing Risk in Microfinance 17:18-19:22 = Can Financial Inclusion Transform Pakistan? 19:23-20:45 = Why Access to Capital Matters More Than Ever 20:46-24:43 = Strengthening Abhi’s Fintech DNA 24:44-26:10 = Do Early Salaries Hurt Financial Discipline? 26:11-28:15 = Can Low-Income Pakistanis Still Build Wealth? 28:16-30:39 = Productive Credit vs Emergency Credit 30:40-31:45 = Why More Institutions Aren’t Entering Microfinance 31:46-34:40 = The Challenge of Reaching Women Borrowers 34:41-37:09 = The Rise of Pakistan’s Women Investors 37:10-38:52 = Is Rural Pakistan Ready for Digital Banking? 38:53-41:27 = The Resistance to Going Digital 41:28-42:50 = Bringing Salary Payments to Small Businesses 42:51-44:59 = Breaking Pakistan’s "Cash Is King" Mindset 45:00-49:16 = Climate Change’s Threat to Microfinance 49:17-51:36 = From Globalization to Regionalization 51:37-53:23 = How Much Fiscal Space Does Pakistan Have Left? 53:24-54:54 = What Low-Income Households Still Get Wrong 54:55-57:10 = The Spending Habits Holding People Back 57:11-59:16 = How Gen Z Thinks About Investing 59:17-1:02:51 = What Abhi Will Become in the Next Decade 1:02:52-01:03:51 = What Drives Kabeer Naqvi 01:03:52-01:52:11 = Final Thoughts Follow me on Facebook:   / sidraiqbal.official   Twitter:  / sidraiqbal   Instagram:   / iqbalsidra   From Collapse To Comeback ft. Kabeer Naqvi | Full Episode