Roshaneh Zafar

About & Career Background

Roshaneh Zafar is an internationally acclaimed development economist, pioneer of microfinance in Pakistan, and Founder & Managing Director of Kashf Foundation, empowering millions of women entrepreneurs.

Roshaneh Zafar is a world-renowned social entrepreneur, development economist, and the pioneering Founder and Managing Director of Kashf Foundation, Pakistan's first specialized microfinance and women empowerment institution established in 1996. Inspired by the Grameen model after working with the World Bank, Roshaneh created sustainable microcredit and financial literacy pathways that have lifted millions of low-income Pakistani families and female micro-entrepreneurs out of poverty across urban and rural communities. Her transformational work has earned her top national and international honors, including the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz from the Government of Pakistan, the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, and recognition as an Ashoka Fellow and Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur. Roshaneh also serves on multiple international councils, advocating for gender equity, women-owned business financing, and climate-resilient community development. ### Areas of Expertise & Global Impact - Microfinance Institutions (MFI) Governance, Credit Risk & Impact Lending - Female Entrepreneurship Development, Financial Inclusion & Digital Wallets - Development Economics, Poverty Alleviation Policies & Social Safety Nets - Non-Profit Sustainable Financing, Impact Metrics & ESG Standards - Educational Micro-Loans, Affordable Private School Financing & Gender Advocacy ### Economic Empowerment & Public Policy Roshaneh regularly advises multilateral financial institutions, central banks, and development organizations on scaling financial inclusion, designing gender-lens loan products, and mitigating climate change risks for vulnerable rural communities.

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