Seven Pakistanis have been included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2026 list, with their work recognized across technology, finance, science, social impact and entertainment.

Forbes’ annual list highlights young achievers under 30 across Asia who are making an impact in their respective fields. This year’s Pakistani honourees include startup founders, a researcher, a youth leader, an actor and a filmmaker.

Syed Ismail, co-founder of Karachi-based Saraaf, was named in the Consumer and Enterprise Technology category. Saraaf, founded in 2021, is working to digitise commodity sourcing for businesses dealing in materials such as onyx and cotton from Central and South Asia.

Its platform focuses on real-time pricing, shipment tracking, digital contracts and live communication between buyers and sellers. The startup also secured a $5.3 million investment commitment from Shark Tank Pakistan in 2024.

Muhammad Furqan Karim Kidwai and Sarfraz Shahid Hussain, co-founders of Singapore-based Plouton AI, were selected in the Finance and Venture Capital category. Plouton AI is an automation platform designed to help midmarket companies manage finance workflows more efficiently.

The platform uses browser-based AI agents to carry out tasks such as invoicing, payroll processing and month-end reconciliation within tools companies already use, including Xero, QuickBooks and Excel.

Both founders are graduates of Habib University and previously co-founded YPay Financial Services, a fintech platform for digital mutual fund investment.

Maheera Ghani was recognised in the Healthcare and Science category. She completed her PhD in materials science at the University of Cambridge in 2025 and is now conducting postdoctoral research on ultra-thin semiconductors.

Forbes also noted her work through WinSci Pakistan, an education initiative encouraging women to pursue science careers. The project won the Nature Inspiring Women in Science award from Estée Lauder Companies and Springer Nature.

Fahad Shahbaz, founder of the Youth General Assembly, was named in the Social Impact category. He launched the platform in 2015 to create opportunities for young Pakistanis to engage in leadership and policymaking.

The Youth General Assembly runs a 96-member annual assembly modelled on parliamentary systems, where young participants debate public policy and prepare recommendations. Shahbaz is also a Diana Award recipient and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community in Pakistan.

Hania Aamir was named in the Entertainment and Sports category. Forbes described her as the most-followed Pakistani woman on Instagram, with around 20 million followers.

Aamir made her acting debut in 2016 and gained wider recognition the following year through the romantic drama Phir Wohi Mohabbat, which earned her the Best Television Sensation Female award at the Hum Awards. She was later nominated for Best Actress at the 2024 Hum Awards for Sang-e-Mah and won the Global Star Award at last year’s ceremony.

She is also set to appear in Jo Bachay Hain Sang Samait Lo, expected to be released later this year as Netflix’s first Pakistani original series.

Saman Kamran was also named in the Entertainment and Sports category. A graduate of the National College of Arts in Lahore, she has worked across film, experimental cinema and music videos.

Her film Gandhara: Land of Fragrance was officially selected for Cortomontagna-Premio Leggimontagna in 2022. In 2024, she collaborated with New York-based artist Wong Kit Yi on The Bed She Made, an experimental film exploring fertility and ecological collapse in Asia.

The same year, her stop-motion music video for Pakistani grunge band Skehlaaj’s See Through the Sin won Best Music Video at the Film Tuition International Festival.

Kamran also worked as assistant director on Umro Ayyar, one of Pakistan’s highest-grossing films.

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