Housing finance doubles to Rs279b

Approved financing under the Wazir-e-Azam Apna Ghar Programme has roughly doubled since June, climbing to Rs279 billion from Rs144 billion. The Express Tribune, citing a Finance Ministry statement issued on Tuesday, said the state wants wider financing reach across priority sectors. Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb presided over the Access to Finance Steering Committee, which took stock of work in housing, agriculture, SMEs, exports, IT and renewable energy.

The committee noted that overall housing lending climbed from roughly Rs294 billion at the close of June to Rs307 billion in mid-August. Under the housing scheme, applications climbed 52% to close to 139,000, while approvals jumped 84% to more than 46,000 and disbursements grew 59% to over 7,600.

Growth has been helped by the State Bank of Pakistan's revised Prudential Regulations for Housing Finance and the Financial Institutions (Recovery of Finances) (Amendment) Act, 2026, which tightens the legal basis for recovering and enforcing mortgage loans. Farm borrowers numbered 3.37 million by mid-August, up from 3.26 million at the end of June, while agricultural financing held at about Rs1.26 trillion. Over 58,000 farmers have enrolled under the Zarkhez-e-Asaan Zarai Qarza scheme, and bank approvals climbed 12% to close to 16,700. Formal SME lending reached about Rs1.05 trillion, spread across roughly 330,000 businesses.