Tariq Khan Baluch
Mr. Baluch commenced his career in banking and has worked in USA, Singapore and Pakistan with blue-chip financial institutions - American Express Bank, Hongkong & Shanghai Bank (HSBC), and Imperial Bank of California. Over the last 20 years he has been associated with the development sector and has rich experience in designing and implementing poverty alleviation programs and income generating activities for vulnerable communities using financial and non-financial interventions.
As General Manager at Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), a microfinance apex organization funded largely by World Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mr. Baluch managed the largest and the most important component of PPAF with responsibility of a pool of over USD250 million for wholesale credit and grant support for partner organizations. During this time, he worked closely with World Bank and IFAD and played a catalytic role in designing and implementing large ‘Second Generation’ microfinance programs of over USD70 million for scaling up and commercializing microfinance in Pakistan.
As CEO of FINCA Afghanistan and First MicroBank S.A. Mozambique, Mr. Baluch handled challenging and trying assignments in conflict hit and remote geographies. He was also CEO of Advans Pakistan Microfinance Bank, a joint venture of Advans Network of France and FMO (Dutch Government), where his responsibilities entailed positioning the bank to serve the MSME market in Sindh. In his last assignment as President of a startup FinTech firm he was tasked to provide Shariah compliant Digital Financial Services to the unserved and underserved in Pakistan through a complete digital platform using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Mr. Baluch has in the past also served as CEO of Mutahid DFI.
Mr. Baluch has also been a CEO of First Microinsurance Agency, a joint venture company of Aga Khan Development Network and Acumen Fund of New York, and was responsible for spearheading provision of commercially viable microinsurance products, particularly health insurance, to reduce vulnerability of poor families in Pakistan to financially catastrophic events.
Having been a member of numerous corporate Boards in Pakistan and abroad he partook countless policy dialogues on Rural Development and Inclusive Finance in addition to formulating and implementing corporate strategies and change management at institutional level. Under Asian Development Bank’s initiative to support SMEs in Pakistan he was involved in policy dialogue with State Bank of Pakistan, Pakistan Banking Council, and Asian Development Bank for development of legal and regulatory requirements for SMEs in the country, including drafting of its first prudential regulations.
Mr. Baluch graduated with Bachelor of Science degree in Management Science and Computer Systems from Oklahoma State University (USA), and MBA in International Business from Northrop University (USA).