Pakistan Bachat (Savings) Scheme

Last registered on January 12, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Pakistan Bachat (Savings) Scheme
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017619
Initial registration date
January 09, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
January 12, 2026, 8:15 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Kate Vyborny
Affiliation
Duke University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Zaineb Majoka
PI Affiliation
World Bank
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PI Name
Farah Said
PI Affiliation
LUMS
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-01-15
End date
2030-10-31
Keywords
Finance & Microfinance, Gender
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The Government of Pakistan, with support from the World Bank, has launched a hybrid social protection initiative combining a commitment savings device with a matched savings program to support poor and vulnerable households. The government will pay a matching grant to participants who fulfil their commitment to deposit a fixed monthly amount in their bank accounts. This study randomly assigns eligible individuals to information and support in signing up for the scheme.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Majoka, Zaineb, Farah Said and Kate Vyborny. 2026. "Pakistan Bachat (Savings) Scheme." AEA RCT Registry. January 12. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17619-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2026-01-31
Intervention End Date
2026-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
We currently plan administrative data collection to observe the following outcomes:



Enrolment in the scheme

Savings within the scheme



We anticipate followup survey data collection pending budget availability; we will update the registry with additional outcomes to be collected before any followup survey data collection begins.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Treatment 1: Female prospective beneficiary receives information on the saving scheme and registration procedure

Treatment 2: Female prospective beneficiary receives information on the saving scheme and registration procedure; beneficiary’s husband is invited to join the discussion

Control: Female beneficiary will not receive any information about the scheme.

Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization will be done using the Stata software.
Randomization Unit
Union Council
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
694 union councils

Sample size: planned number of observations
14,000 HHs
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
7,000 treatment households (T1: 3,500 for female beneficiary arm; T2: 3,500 for female beneficiary with husband being invited arm), and 7,000 control households.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Lahore University of Management Sciences
IRB Approval Date
2024-04-02
IRB Approval Number
LUMS-IRB/04022024/FS-FWA-00030383
Analysis Plan