PM Shehbaz: SBP must act against slow priority lenders
At an Islamabad review meeting on Monday, the prime minister also ordered a joint SBP-FBR fix for SME tax hurdles and a risk-cover plan to ease small-business lending.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told the State Bank of Pakistan and the Finance Ministry to act against banks slow to lend to farmers, SMEs and Apna Ghar applicants.
He said banks that lag under government credit schemes should not receive concessions from the central bank or Finance.
As of 23 October, Apna Ghar had Rs511 billion in approved loans but only Rs91 billion disbursed to 15,584 applicants.
Outstanding agriculture credit stood at Rs1,329 billion and SME lending at Rs1,148 billion; both sectors have a Rs1,500 billion target by end-FY2027.
The SBP’s SME Connect portal lets firms apply for and track loans; risk-sharing and simpler paperwork were also discussed.