Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed banks and financial institutions to expand lending to farmers, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the housing sector.
Chairing a meeting on access to finance for agriculture, housing and SMEs, the prime minister said the government would encourage banks that proactively increase access to credit.
Shehbaz said agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and directed that farmers be provided uninterrupted access to financing on easy terms.
He also said affordable housing for low-income and middle-class households remains a government priority. He directed provincial chief secretaries to conduct a comprehensive survey of properties that could qualify for bank financing under the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Scheme.
The meeting was informed that 147,504 applications have been received under the scheme, of which 53,127 have been approved. The approved applications have a total value of Rs. 313.42 billion, while Rs. 45.43 billion in loans have been disbursed to 8,739 applicants.
The meeting was also informed that a system is being developed to identify plots across the country that meet mortgage requirements. The pilot project will be launched in Islamabad.
Bank lending to the SME sector stood at Rs. 1.067 trillion as of August 2026. Under the Access to Finance Plan 2026 to 2028, lending to SMEs has been targeted to reach Rs. 2 trillion by June 2028.
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