A tribute to Mohamedali Habib: The unsung hero of Pakistan's banking industry

HabibMetro Bank pays tribute to their predecessor and an esteemed hero of Pakistan with their remarkable campaign

Our martyred heroes had to face unimaginable hardships to bring into existence this beloved motherland we proudly call Pakistan. Among these, are, the less-celebrated heroes of the business world who contributed significantly to Pakistan’s sovereignty by building its economy.

Mohamedali Habib, founder of Habib Bank and predecessor of the founders of HabibMetro Bank, is one such historic figure. Son of Habib Esmail, who had established Habib & Sons in 1921, M. Habib played an instrumental role in building the Habib brand into one of the most prominent industrial/banking groups in the Indo-Pak subcontinent at the time of partition.



In 1941, Mohamedali Habib, along with his brothers, established a commercial bank and named it Habib Bank in memory of his beloved father. At the time of migration, Mohamedali facilitated the transfer of the financial assets of migrants from India to Pakistan. He also shifted the thriving bank from India to Pakistan, and in doing so, established the banking infrastructure of Pakistan.

Just like Quaid-e-Azam, M. Habib also devoted his life to a sovereign and financially independent Pakistan. To turn this dream into spectacular reality, he presented Quaid with a blank cheque for Pakistan, even though it is believed that his own businesses required more resources.

The Habib family played a momentous role in introducing banking to the middle class in general and Muslims in particular. Moreover, the Habib Group established a training college for training banking talent in Pakistan. In addition to that, Habib family provided their highly trained senior staff to other key banking institutions as well.



The Habib Group’s trustworthiness had such a reputation that the Government of Pakistan requested them to undertake the government’s treasury functions as well. Mohamedali Habib turned down this rewarding and prestigious offer in the best interest of the country and instead, played a key role in the formation of the State Bank of Pakistan and the National Bank of Pakistan

While doing all this, M. Habib and the Habib Group, continued to support education and social welfare in the Country. This Pakistani hero is known to have established numerous orphanages, hospitals and benevolent trusts pertaining to serving poor people who did not have proper access to food, housing or clothing facilities.

Today, his legacy is carried on by the House of Habib including HabibMetro Bank and Habib Bank AG Zurich.

This Pakistan Day, let’s take a moment to salute this notable and inspirational personality who dedicated his life to the banking industry of our country. To find out more about his legacy, visit here