Askari Bank streamlines access management, enhances security and reduces help desk costs with IBM Verify
Askari Bank, one of Pakistan’s leading financial institutions, was looking to address rising IT costs and operational inefficiencies. Large volumes of password reset requests were consuming valuable help desk resources, while manual onboarding and offboarding processes slowed productivity. Security gaps, such as plain-text password communication, created unacceptable vulnerabilities in a highly regulated environment under the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The bank required a modern identity management solution to strengthen security, ensure compliance and optimize costs.
reduction in help desk time for password-related issues
to 1 day onboarding/offboarding cycle time
staff adoption of the self-service identity platform
MFA coverage for sensitive actions
Askari Bank collaborated with Software Productivity Strategists, Inc. (SPS), an IBM Business Partner®, to deploy a modern identity and access management solution that met both operational and compliance goals.
SPS designed and deployed the solution framework—automating onboarding and offboarding workflows to dramatically reduce manual effort and provisioning time. They also implemented a self-service password reset system, which empowered users to manage their own credentials and substantially reduced help desk volume.
Askari Bank enhanced security by eliminating plain-text password exchanges and introducing multifactor authentication (MFA) with IBM® Verify. The bank used IBM Verify along with the automation capabilities enabled by SPS to meet SBP compliance requirements while facilitating a seamless, secure user experience.
In partnership with Software Productivity Strategists (SPS), Askari Bank deployed IBM Verify as the foundation of their modern identity and access management (IAM) platform. Key outcomes included:
- Automated onboarding/offboarding workflows integrated with HR systems, reducing cycle time from five days to one day—making Askari Bank the first financial institution in Pakistan to achieve automation in digital onboarding and offboarding
- 75% reduction in help desk time spent on password-related issues
- 80% staff adoption of the self-service identity platform
- Multifactor authentication (MFA) enforced with 100% coverage for sensitive actions
- Single sign-on (SSO) implemented across 36 banking, including core banking, and enterprise applications—another first for financial institutions in Pakistan
- Prevention of weak/dictionary-based passwords to mitigate brute-force and dictionary attacks
- Agentic automation with MYID Autopilot delivering:
- Mean time to resolve (MTTR) in seconds with human-in-the-loop or agentic auto-password reset
- Reduced security operations center (SOC) workload through fewer tickets and escalations
- Stronger breach prevention by limiting lateral movement
- Improved user experience with self-service recovery and minimal downtime
- Enhanced compliance with SBP regulations and strengthened cyber resilience
By deploying IBM Verify with SPS, Askari Bank significantly improved their IAM efficiency, strengthened their security posture and achieved compliance with SBP requirements.
Askari Bank Limited (link resides outside of ibm.com) is a Pakistan-based bank incorporated in 1991, offering conventional and Islamic banking services through their extensive network of branches, ATMs and a dedicated contact center. They serve both individual and commercial clients and are known for their focus on technological innovation and Shariah-compliant financial products. The bank is listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange and operates under the umbrella of the Fauji Foundation.
Software Productivity Strategists, Inc. (SPS) (link resides outside of ibm.com) is an IBM Business Partner based in Rockville, MD, with offices in Islamabad, Pakistan. They build industry solutions leveraging AI and cloud. As an enterprise-class innovator and solution creator with expertise across all phases of product design, development, deployment and security, SPS helps their clients build and secure applications. Their development, quality, cybersecurity, training, operations, monitoring and support teams work in tandem to create high-performance, secure and scalable systems.
Legal
© Copyright IBM Corporation 2025. IBM, the IBM logo, and IBM Business Partner are trademarks or registered trademarks of IBM Corp., in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Examples presented as illustrative only. Actual results will vary based on client configurations and conditions and, therefore, generally expected results cannot be provided.