Finance Minister Showcases Economic Gains, Investment Prospects at London Event

Finance Minister Highlights Macroeconomic Gains, Investment Opportunities at ‘Pakistan Access Day’ Moot in London Federal Minister for Finance Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb delivered a keynote address at the Jefferies’ ‘Pakistan Access Day’ interactive conference co-hosted by KTrade Securities in London today. The event brought together a distinguished audience comprising top global institutional investors, senior executives from leading international banks, investment firms, and professionals from both the public and private sectors. Advisor to the Prime Minister on Privatization Muhammad Ali also attended and addressed the forum, which served as a vital platform to showcase Pakistan’s economic progress and investment outlook to the international business community. In his keynote address, Senator Aurangzeb underscored Pakistan’s firm commitment to macroeconomic reform and structural transformation and the government’s resolve to stay the course to bring permanence to this macroeconomic stability. He stated that the country had made substantial progress toward achieving macroeconomic stability, with key economic indicators now reflecting improved resilience and discipline. “We have successfully navigated a period of significant external and domestic challenges, and Pakistan today stands on the foundation of restored macroeconomic stability,” the Minister noted. “Through bold and far-reaching reforms, we have reinstated fiscal discipline, strengthened our external position, and rebuilt investor confidence.” He highlighted that Pakistan posted a primary budget surplus of Rs. 3.6 trillion during the first half of FY25, while inflation has seen a remarkable decline—reaching just 0.3 percent in April 2025, the lowest level recorded in over a decade. These gains, he added, have been acknowledged internationally with Fitch upgrading Pakistan’s sovereign credit rating from CCC+ to B-, reflecting renewed market confidence. Looking ahead, Aurangzeb outlined Pakistan’s ambitious economic targets, including 6 percent annual GDP growth by persisting with structural reforms in taxation, energy, SOEs, privatisation, pension and public finance, an expansion of exports to USD 50 billion, inflation moderation to 6 percent, and the development of a $5 billion ICT freelancing industry. Additionally, Pakistan aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent, raise the share of renewable energy to 10 percent, and reduce income poverty by 13 percent. He emphasized that these goals are embedded within the Government’s comprehensive “5Es Framework”—focusing on Exports, E-Pakistan (IT), Environment & Climate Change, Energy & Infrastructure, and Equity, Ethics, and Empowerment. The minister reaffirmed the Government’s policy of limiting its role to providing a robust and consistent policy framework, while allowing the private sector to take the lead in driving growth. He pointed to increasing private sector representation in top policy forums as a testament to this approach. Further, he detailed ongoing efforts to improve the investment climate in Pakistan. He highlighted the Investment Policy 2023, which offers clear protections and incentives for foreign investors, and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), which serves as a streamlined “one-window” platform for expediting investment processes. “We are committed to making Pakistan’s investment ecosystem more transparent, efficient, and investor-friendly,” he said. “Over 160 regulatory reforms have already been implemented under the Pakistan Regulatory Modernization Initiative (PRMI), and we are launching the Pakistan Business Portal to simplify business registration and approvals through digital integration.” Additionally, he noted that Pakistan’s reformed visa regime now allows for 24-hour e-visas for citizens of 126 countries—further facilitating international business engagement.