Kashf Foundation began with many firsts: it was the first specialized Microfinance institution in Pakistan, it was the first Microfinance institution targeting only women from low income communities and it was also the first Microfinance institution to charge a sustainable price for its services. Since its inception, Kashf Foundation has continued to trail-blaze – in 1999 it introduced the first pro-women consumption loan in the sector, in 2001 it was the first Microfinance institution to offer micro-insurance services by collaborating with one of Pakistan’s oldest insurance companies, in 2003 it was the first Microfinance institution to become financially sustainable, in 2004 it was the first Microfinance institution to obtain an investable credit rating and in 2007 it has been able to close over $36 million in commercial deals with key local and international banks.

Kashf's mission is to alleviate poverty by providing quality and cost effective microfinance services to low income households, especially women, in order to enhance their economic role and decision-making capacity.

“We empower poor women and their families to become economically self reliant by providing financial services in a sustainable manner. We promote economic self-actualisation by providing the poor with continuous economic opportunities so they can realise their potential and overcome barriers of poverty. At Kashf we believe access to financial services is the basic right of each and every individual.”

Kashf places the client at the center of all financial services that it offers and designs products and services in the light of the client's demands. We believe clients from low-income communities require innovative financial solutions to meet the many contingencies and crises they face as a result of vulnerable cashflows. With a constantly growing outreach of clients and a diverse product range, Kashf adheres to delighting its clients with client focused products that grow with their evolving needs.

Future goals are to:

• Improve access and scale of microfinance services by demonstrating that women in Pakistan are credible and are active economic agents by reaching out to 750,000 female clients by 2010
• Continue to innovate by creating client-driven products and services for low income households, including home improvement loans and a health insurance product
• Strengthen customer care processes by empowering field staff to listen to client feedback on a continuous basis
• Sustain Kashf’s financially viable business model of providing financial services to the poor and mainstream it with other financial institutions to ensure scalability