Pakistan’s largest public-sector bank has earned regional recognition for financing clean energy, after the NBP sustainable infrastructure award went to the National Bank of Pakistan at the Asian Banking and Finance (ABF) Corporate and Investment Banking Awards 2026. The award honours NBP’s role in arranging a PKR 850 million Islamic facility that funds solar power systems at cellular tower sites across the country.
The recognition was reported on October 14, 2026. The NBP sustainable infrastructure award places NBP among a strong group of Pakistani banks honoured at the ABF awards, which celebrate performance, innovation and excellence in corporate and investment banking across Asia.
What the NBP Sustainable Infrastructure Award Recognises
The award recognises NBP’s work in structuring and arranging a PKR 850 million syndicated project finance facility for Infralectric (Pvt.) Limited, a renewable energy solutions provider. NBP advised on, structured and arranged the Islamic financing facility, and the funding supports the installation of solar photovoltaic systems at cellular tower sites.
The project aims to make telecommunications infrastructure cleaner and more energy-efficient. By financing solar power for tower operations, the initiative supports Pakistan’s wider shift toward renewable energy and efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Cellular towers have traditionally relied on a mix of grid electricity and diesel generators, a costly arrangement that becomes unreliable in areas with weak grid coverage. Solar systems cut diesel use, lower operating costs and keep networks running more reliably, while reducing the emissions that come with generator fuel. The NBP sustainable infrastructure award recognises exactly this kind of structuring work: a bank using its advisory skills to make a renewable project bankable.
NBP’s corporate and investment banking chief, Usman Shahid, said the award reflected the bank’s growing role in supporting sustainable infrastructure and directing capital toward projects with economic and environmental benefits. He added that NBP remains committed to working with clients and partners on financing solutions that contribute to a more sustainable and resilient Pakistan.
Why Solar-Powered Towers Matter for Pakistan
Pakistan’s mobile networks depend on tens of thousands of tower sites, many of them in locations where grid power is unreliable or unavailable. Keeping those sites running on diesel is expensive for operators and heavy on emissions, which is why solar-plus-storage models have gained ground across the sector. That is the gap the NBP sustainable infrastructure award highlights: financing that makes clean tower energy bankable at scale.
Infralectric works under an Energy-as-a-Service model. It builds, owns and operates the energy assets at tower sites, while mobile operators pay for the energy service rather than putting up the capital themselves. According to credit rating agency PACRA, the company had solarized 2,781 towers, with a further 948 sites under active deployment, and holds long-term contracts with major operators including Telenor Pakistan and Ufone.
The NBP facility is part of a broader wave of green financing for telecom energy in Pakistan. In April 2026, Infralectric launched the country’s first PKR 3 billion AAA-rated green sukuk for the telecom sector, backed by a 100 percent principal guarantee from InfraZamin Pakistan, to fund battery storage and solar systems at around 1,955 tower sites, as reported by TechJuice. That was a separate transaction from the NBP facility, but it shows how quickly solar financing for towers has scaled.
The tower project also fits Pakistan’s wider digital infrastructure push, on show at the APT Symposium in Islamabad, where the Universal Service Fund crossed a historic $1 billion milestone. Cleaner, cheaper tower energy supports the networks that connectivity depends on.
A Strong Night for Pakistani Banks in Singapore
The ABF awards ceremony was held on July 2, 2026, at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Singapore. The programme covers three award streams, retail banking, wholesale banking, and corporate and investment banking, and nominations were assessed by an independent panel of industry experts from firms including Deloitte, PwC, Kearney, Boston Consulting Group and Simon-Kucher, according to Asian Banking and Finance. The NBP sustainable infrastructure award was judged under the same independent process as the rest of the programme.
NBP was not the only Pakistani winner. Habib Bank Limited took Corporate and Investment Bank of the Year for Pakistan along with Green Deal of the Year and Mergers and Acquisitions Deal of the Year. Meezan Bank won three Pakistan categories, Bank Alfalah took Hybrid Financing Deal of the Year, Faysal Bank won Project Infrastructure Finance Deal of the Year, the Bank of Punjab won Green Deal of the Year, and United Bank Limited won Syndicated Loan of the Year.
Pakistani banks have been collecting recognition at home too. Khushhali Microfinance Bank recently won two PMN awards after a major financial turnaround, while Zong won a double at the Asian Experience Awards for its work in telecom.
NBP’s Wider Green Finance Push
The NBP sustainable infrastructure award fits a broader green financing agenda at NBP. The bank says it has extended green financing facilities to corporate, investment, Islamic, commercial, SME, agriculture and consumer clients, covering wind, hydro and solar-powered projects under the State Bank of Pakistan’s Renewable Energy Finance Scheme as well as conventional bank financing. Its corporate social responsibility work includes solar-powered ATMs and branches and donations of water pumps and solar panels.
NBP has also issued Sukuk facilities and term finance certificates for hydro power projects through its Islamic banking and investment banking arms. The bank has approved a plan to convert its entire conventional operations to Islamic banking, with full conversion expected by the end of 2027, according to PACRA, which makes the Islamic structure of the tower facility consistent with the bank’s own direction.
For Pakistan, the significance of the NBP sustainable infrastructure award goes beyond one trophy. It shows local banks structuring complex, Shariah-compliant deals for renewable energy at scale, and directing capital toward the infrastructure that keeps the country connected while cutting its diesel habit.
Photo: Munro89 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Sources
- The AZB: NBP Wins Sustainable Infrastructure Initiative of the Year Pakistan at ABF Awards 2026
- Asian Banking and Finance: Asia’s banking elite celebrated at Asian Banking and Finance Awards 2026
- TechJuice: Pakistan’s First PKR 3 Billion Green Sukuk Launched to Solarize Telecom Towers
- PACRA: Infralectric (Pvt.) Limited rating analysis
Umar is an engineer by profession and a passionate writer by passion. He has a deep interest in sharing good news related to Pakistan and has been working hard to promote the positive image of his homeland. Umar has written numerous articles on various topics related to Pakistan, such as technology, sports, culture, and economy.