Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb concluded his six-day visit to the United States with a series of high-level meetings aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s economic partnerships.
During a meeting with International Finance Corporation (IFC) Managing Director Makhtar Diop, Aurangzeb witnessed the signing of a swap agreement between the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the IFC. The signing took place on the sidelines of the IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings in Washington, DC.
The finance minister praised IFC’s decision to designate Pakistan as a regional hub, calling it a vote of confidence in the country’s growing economic potential.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to expanding collaboration with the IFC across financial and development sectors, including digital payments, subnational finance, and advisory support in pharmaceuticals, electric vehicles, and commodity exchanges. He also welcomed Diop’s upcoming visit to Pakistan during the Spring Meetings.
Highlighting progress on the Reko Diq project, Aurangzeb expressed optimism about the EXIM Bank’s participation in the near future, noting interest from several U.S. companies in the venture.
He also met with senior management at JP Morgan, briefing them on Pakistan’s plans to issue its inaugural Panda Bond in China, which will be launched as a green bond to promote sustainable financing. The meeting also covered Pakistan’s privatisation drive, including the government-to-government sale of the First Women Bank.
Aurangzeb participated in the 15th V20 Ministerial Dialogue on “Cost of Capital, Debt & Growth Pathways,” where he highlighted Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate disasters and stressed the need to operationalise the Loss and Damage Fund.
He called for faster decision-making at the Green Climate Fund to support climate resilience efforts. The minister also discussed the GO AI Hub initiative with Saudi Arabia, encouraging JP Morgan to explore further cooperation in sustainable finance and digital transformation.
