Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb calls for faster implementation, stronger private-sector participation and wider financing access.
Pakistan is stepping up efforts to expand access to finance for businesses, farmers, households and other underserved groups as the government reviews progress across key lending sectors.
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb chaired the fifth meeting of the Access to Finance Steering Committee at the Finance Division on Wednesday. The meeting focused on implementation, measurable results and timely follow-up on decisions taken by various sub-committees.
SME Financing Shows Steady Growth
The committee noted that outstanding SME financing increased by Rs 23 billion, rising from Rs 1.114 trillion in June 2026 to more than Rs 1.137 trillion by September. The number of SME borrowers also climbed by over 25,000 to around 350,862.
The government aims to increase SME financing to Rs 2 trillion and raise the number of borrowers to 775,000 by June 2028. Aurangzeb stressed that achieving these targets would require greater participation from commercial banks, microfinance institutions and other financial service providers.
Agriculture Lending Expands
Agriculture financing also recorded significant growth during the period. Outstanding financing increased by Rs 94.7 billion to more than Rs 1.35 trillion, while the number of borrowers reached approximately 3.46 million.
Under the Prime Minister’s Zarkhez-e-Asaan Zarai Qarza scheme, 5,563 small farmers received uncollateralised loans worth Rs 2.1 billion. The committee also examined ways to expand financing for livestock, fisheries and other underserved areas of the agricultural economy.
Housing Finance Sees Major Increase
Housing finance rose by Rs 103 billion, reaching Rs 426 billion by the end of September compared with Rs 323 billion in June. Borrowers increased to 231,550.
Under the Wazir-e-Azam Apna Ghar Program, Rs 76 billion has been disbursed to 13,214 borrowers, while approved loans worth Rs 350 billion remain pending for disbursement. The committee also discussed financing options for builders and developers to address supply-side constraints.
EV Financing and Implementation
The committee reviewed the Pakistan Accelerated Vehicle Electrification Scheme, which supports affordable financing for two- and three-wheel electric vehicles. By September-end, 17,262 applications worth Rs 2.54 billion had been approved, while 4,839 loans worth Rs 975 million were disbursed and 2,725 vehicles delivered.
Aurangzeb directed authorities to focus on converting approved financing into actual deliveries and removing implementation hurdles.
The finance minister emphasized that government-backed financing should address genuine market gaps while encouraging sustainable private-sector participation. He called for coordinated efforts among banks, regulators, microfinance institutions and other stakeholders to build a broader and sustainable access-to-finance ecosystem.