Nine candidates have completed interviews for the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) presidency, a role paying PKR 10.8 crore annually excluding bonuses, as incumbent Rehmat Ali Hasni’s tenure expired August 6 with a two-week extension granted.
By Imran Malik | Banking & Finance Desk | MediaBites.com.pk
Pakistan’s most powerful banking chair is up for grabs. And the race to sit in it is generating significant interest across the country’s financial sector.
Nine candidates have completed their interviews before a high-powered panel chaired by the Federal Minister for Finance for the position of President and CEO of the National Bank of Pakistan, sources confirmed Tuesday. The government is expected to finalise the appointment later this week, subject to Federal Cabinet approval.
The winner takes charge of Pakistan’s largest state-owned bank. The compensation package, approximately PKR 10.8 crore per year in base salary alone, before bonuses, perks, and allowances, makes this one of the most financially rewarding positions in Pakistan’s public sector.
Kaun banega Crorepati? Nine people just auditioned for the answer.
The Nine Candidates
The candidates who appeared before the Finance Minister-chaired interview panel are:
Hassan Raza, Muhammad Abdullah, Shehram Raza, Mudassar Khan, Zafar Masud, Imran Sarwar, Ali Muhammad Mahoon, Farukh Iqbal, and Rehmat Ali Hasni, the incumbent president who is himself reportedly among those interviewed for the role he currently holds on a two-week extension after his three-year tenure expired on August 6, 2026.
The final decision will follow consideration of the interview panel’s recommendations and the mandatory Federal Cabinet approval process.
What the Winner Inherits, Pakistan’s Banking Crown Jewel
This is not simply a banking job. It is the stewardship of an institution that sits at the very centre of Pakistan’s financial and governmental architecture.
National Bank of Pakistan was established in November 1949 under the National Bank of Pakistan Ordinance and has grown over 77 years into the country’s most systemically important financial institution. The State Bank of Pakistan has formally designated NBP as a Domestic Systemically Important Bank (D-SIB), recognising that its failure or distress would have consequences for the entire Pakistani financial system.
NBP operates 1,503 domestic branches across Pakistan, including 312 dedicated Islamic Banking branches, as of its March 2026 financial statements. It maintains 14 overseas branches with a global footprint spanning South Asia, the Middle East, Central Asia, Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region.
The bank’s headquarters sit at the iconic NBP Building on I.I. Chundrigar Road, Karachi, the address that defines Pakistan’s financial district.
The Numbers That Make This Job Worth Fighting For
Beyond the PKR 10.8 crore annual salary, the new president inherits a bank performing at extraordinary levels.
NBP reported total assets of approximately PKR 7.1 trillion as of December 31, 2025, making it one of the largest balance sheets in Pakistan’s corporate history.
The bank’s 2025 net profit reached PKR 85.9 billion, its highest-ever annual net profit at the time of reporting. Pre-tax profit stood at PKR 178.9 billion, representing a staggering 216% increase from 2024. Total income for 2025 reached PKR 311.7 billion.
These numbers place NBP in a category of its own among Pakistani financial institutions and explain why the presidency of this bank commands the compensation it does.
More Than a Bank, Pakistan’s Financial Backbone
NBP’s role in Pakistan’s economy extends far beyond conventional banking. The institution acts as an intermediary for the government’s treasury transactions and serves as an agent of the State Bank of Pakistan in areas where SBP has no direct presence.
This dual role as a commercial bank and a quasi-governmental financial institution gives NBP’s president a unique position at the intersection of Pakistan’s private sector ambitions and its public sector obligations.
The bank’s core businesses span retail, commercial, corporate and investment banking, Islamic banking, agriculture financing, treasury operations, and international banking, making it one of the most operationally complex institutions in Pakistan’s economy.
Zafar Masud, A Name That Stands Out
Among the nine candidates, Zafar Masud carries a profile that will generate particular attention. A seasoned banker with extensive experience across Pakistan’s financial sector, his inclusion in the candidate pool signals the government’s interest in considering genuinely experienced banking professionals for the role.
The final decision, however, rests with the Federal Cabinet, and Pakistan’s history of public sector banking appointments suggests that the process is rarely straightforward.
The Extension and What It Means
That Rehmat Ali Hasni has been granted a two-week extension beyond his August 6 tenure expiry, while simultaneously being reported as one of the nine candidates interviewed for the position he currently holds, is itself one of the more unusual features of this appointment process.
Whether Hasni emerges as his own successor or yields the chair to one of the eight other candidates will be known within days.
For now, nine of Pakistan’s most senior banking professionals are waiting by their phones. One of them is about to become Pakistan’s most powerful banker, on a PKR 10.8 crore salary.
Kaun banega Crorepati? The Federal Cabinet decides.
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