PM Shehbaz seeks greater investment in Pakistan from global financial giants

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a series of meetings in London on Tuesday, urging senior executives of Barclays, J.P. Morgan, Citi, BlackRock and Rothschild & Co to commit more funds to Pakistan, Business Recorder reported, citing the PM Office. The talks covered the economic reform programme, investment openings, capital markets, trade finance and the growth of financial services. Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb and Privatisation Commission chairman Muhammad Ali also attended the sessions.

At the Barclays session, the prime minister highlighted macroeconomic stabilisation steps and asked the bank to look at opportunities in the financial sector. J.P. Morgan's delegation said it remained interested in sovereign debt capital markets and corporate banking. Citi was urged to widen its corporate and institutional banking business, while BlackRock was invited to raise its holdings of Pakistani stocks and fixed-income securities within its frontier markets strategy.

Both sides stressed policy consistency as a way to strengthen investor confidence, while the executives voiced faith in the reform momentum. Rothschild & Co discussed geo-economic priorities and possible advisory tie-ups on capital market matters and investment strategy. According to the PM Office, the meetings are part of efforts to draw sustained capital flows into the country.