The Pakistan Banks’ Association (PBA) and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) recently cohosted a collaborative session dedicated to advancing national digitalization efforts and reinforcing cybersecurity within Pakistan’s banking industry. The session was led by Dr. Monis Akhlaq, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) - NADRA. NADRA’s technical team and representatives from over 25 banks across the country participated in this important dialogue.
The event was aimed at fostering direct engagement between the banking sector and NADRA’s technical leadership. The discussions primarily focused on ensuring NADRA’s enhanced support to the banking industry with a particular emphasis on customer verification processes and facilitative onboarding of new clients through digital eKYC operations.
The session especially delved into the ongoing enhancement of cybersecurity measures and systems at NADRA. Dr. Akhlaq underscored NADRA’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding citizens' data, highlighting the Authority’s proactive strategies to counter emerging threats and ensure the integrity of sensitive information while supporting digitalization of national economy.
“NADRA is at the forefront of developing new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and integrating cutting-edge technologies to accelerate its national digitalization agenda,” Dr. Monis Akhlaq remarked. “These innovations are poised to significantly assist the banking sector’s efficiency and security, particularly in the realms of customer verification and onboarding.”
Commenting on the session, Muneer Kamal, CEO & Secretary General – PBA said, “The session underscores the importance of PBA’s ongoing collaboration with NADRA in tackling emerging challenges related to customer data protection. We look forward to future collaborations with NADRA to effectively enhance our cybersecurity efforts, and further strengthen the banking industry’s digital infrastructure.
Both sides remain committed to continuing the mutual collaboration through technical exchanges and bolstering mutual cooperation.