Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered the launch of a digital portal for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by the end of November. Furthermore, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities to remove obstacles to the flow of credit and improve the effectiveness of the lending system.
The Prime Minister also directed the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) to concentrate on enhancing the capacity of SMEs. Regarding housing finance, 71,690 housing loans, amounting to Rs426 billion, received approval under the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Scheme.
To date, Rs76 billion has been disbursed to 13,214 borrowers through the Apna Ghar Scheme. The government has set a goal of securing Rs700 billion in housing finance to support 125,000 residential units this year.
The National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) recorded a 76 percent approval rate in housing finance. Currently, agricultural lending totals Rs1,352 billion, which benefits 3.455 million people.
The government established a target to raise agricultural credit to Rs1,500 billion by June 2027. By June 2027, the number of agricultural beneficiaries is projected to reach 4.5 million.
So far, the SME sector has received Rs1,137 billion in loans supporting 350,000 businesses. Looking ahead, the government intends to boost SME lending to Rs1,500 billion and increase the count of borrowing businesses to 565,000 by June 2027.
Federal ministers Rana Tanveer Hussain, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Riaz Pirzada, and Attaullah Tarar, alongside Prime Minister’s Adviser Haroon Akhtar, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad, and other senior officials attended the meeting.
