Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the State Bank of Pakistan to further simplify loan procedures for small and medium enterprises, startups, and small farmers, as private sector lending crossed Rs. 1.1 trillion by December 2025.
Chairing a high-level review meeting in Islamabad, the prime minister said access to credit must be prioritised to support economic growth, modernise agriculture, and promote entrepreneurship. He stressed that service providers should receive loans on a priority basis to help upgrade farming practices through modern technology.
The prime minister said SMEs act as the backbone of economies in developed countries and Pakistan must follow the same path. He also directed that young people be provided with entrepreneurship training to encourage new businesses and generate employment.
The meeting was informed that the number of private sector borrowers had doubled compared to 2021 22, reaching over 303,000 borrowers by December 2025.
Participants were also told that the number of farmers benefiting from loans is expected to reach 3 million this year, up from 2.8 million last year, indicating growing outreach of agricultural financing.
The prime minister instructed Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority team to visit all provinces, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, to prepare a comprehensive policy for SME facilitation.
He announced that he would personally monitor progress on loan disbursement and would form a subcommittee to further simplify financing procedures.