KARACHI: Mastercard has announced the inaugural of Women SME Leaders Awards 2022, to recognise and further empower women-owned and run SMEs in Pakistan, Middle East and Africa, a statement said.

Small enterprises in trading owned and run by women and with a turnover of less than $13.6 million (AED50 million) and employing between six to 50 people are all invited to participate, it added.

“At Mastercard, we believe that women-owned businesses are the catalyst for economic growth, improving the lives of everyone, everywhere. The passion that women the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) owners display is unmatched and they raise the bar for everyone,” Mastercard Executive Vice President, Market Development, EEMEA Amnah Ajmal said.

“That is why Mastercard has curated the Women SME Leaders Awards to recognise and celebrate women entrepreneurs across the Middle East and Africa,” she added.

The awards stemmed out of the inaugural Mastercard SME Confidence Index conducted last year which revealed that 81 per cent of women entrepreneurs in the Middle East and Africa have a digital presence for their businesses, compared to 68 per cent of their male counterparts.