Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani has said the government is taking practical steps to widen SME trade financing for small and medium-sized exporters, cut their cost of doing business and help them compete abroad. After chairing a high-level consultative meeting at the Finance Division on Thursday, he said Islamabad is also weighing broader export credit insurance and risk-sharing so smaller firms can reach international markets more easily.
What the minister announced
Kayani said the government is committed to easing financial and regulatory hurdles for SME exporters and opening paths to new markets. He linked the effort to directives from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif aimed at strengthening the SME sector, raising export capacity and expanding Pakistan’s footprint overseas.
He described SME trade financing as part of a wider push that includes better foreign-market access, support for new products and a lighter burden of doing business. Feedback from exporters, he said, is central to spotting obstacles and shaping workable fixes.
Banks and the Export Finance Scheme
On the Export Finance Scheme (EFS)—a bank facility meant to help exporters obtain trade-related credit—Kayani pressed participating banks to name focal persons, state eligibility clearly and set processing timelines so smaller exporters can actually use the facility.
Officials are also looking at how to make the Export Facilitation Scheme more effective and whether to expand export credit insurance and risk-sharing for smaller businesses. Related reviews will cover financing arrangements, regulatory barriers and market access, including options on digital access, collateral and export credit support.
Exporters’ concerns and next steps
Sector representatives raised taxation, regulatory rules, compliance costs and product certification, including emerging green standards. They also pointed to high freight and shipping costs, scarce access to modern machinery and technology, and trouble meeting buyer requirements abroad—factors they said weaken competitiveness.
Kayani directed relevant institutions to consult chambers of commerce and exporters, record their concerns and set a tracking system with clear responsibilities and deadlines. The meeting included Secretary Commerce Jawad Paul, Senior Technical Advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office on Trade Dr Saeed, Special Secretary Commerce Syed Hamid Ali, Federal Board of Revenue Member (Strategic Transformation) Dr Hamid Ateeq Sarwar, Commerce Ministry and provincial officials, and leading SME exporters.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Hakoomat chhotay exporters ke liye bank se SME trade financing aasaan karne ka irada rakhati hai. Bilal Azhar Kayani ne banks se kaha ke Export Finance Scheme par focal person rakhein aur applications jaldi dekhein. Export credit insurance aur risk-sharing bhi barhane ka socha ja raha hai. Agar yeh qadam kaam karain to chhotay businesses ko bahar saman bhejne mein madad mil sakti hai.
