BoK, Sarhad Chamber discuss SME financing, business support

Business Recorder reported that Bank of Khyber (BoK) met Junaid Altaf, president of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI), in Peshawar to review funding difficulties confronting business, industrial, SME and farming enterprises. The bank's side was headed by Abdullah Ghaffar, group head for commercial, SME and agricultural finance, with Gul Buhar Khan, group head of retail banking, also present. Talks centred on credit access, loan terms, interest rates, collateral demands and paperwork procedures.

Both parties agreed to ease SME financing for SCCI staff and to hold a joint session with the chamber's SME members. The gathering will outline available facilities, their terms and procedures, and give members a direct channel to raise concerns with BoK officials. Participants also looked at the Housing Finance Scheme that targets 5- to 10-marla homes, along with possible funding routes for businesses.

A BoK team also met Businessmen's Forum Group Leader Ghazanfar Bilour and other representatives. Those discussions centred on SME funding, banking facilities and broader financial and economic pressures facing the business community.