SMEs digital portal launch likely by Nov-end
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday ordered the launch of a digital portal for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by November end to facilitate access to bank financing and enable real-time monitoring of credit and other business facilities. Presiding over a high-level review meeting on lending to the housing, agriculture and SME sectors, the prime minister also directed…
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the launch of a digital portal for SMEs by the end of November, aimed at simplifying access to bank financing and real-time monitoring of business facilities. At a high-level review meeting on lending to housing, agriculture, and SME sectors, the prime minister emphasized the removal of obstacles to credit flow and enhancement of the lending system's effectiveness.
The proposed SME portal will provide real-time data on bank lending, including LCs and other business facilities' status. SMEDA will focus on SME capacity improvement, modern technology promotion, productivity enhancement, and global value chain integration. Under the PM's Apna Ghar Scheme, 71,690 housing loans worth Rs426 billion have been approved, with Rs76 billion disbursed to 13,214 borrowers, targeting Rs700 billion in housing finance for 125,000 residential units this year.
The NBP achieved a 76% approval rate in housing finance, and the prime minister directed its president to elevate the bank's performance with top talent hiring. Land-record digitization in provinces other than Punjab will be accelerated to improve housing loan processing transparency. Agricultural lending currently stands at Rs1,352 billion for 3.455 million people, with a target to reach Rs1,500 billion by June 2027 and 4.5 million beneficiaries.
The government aims to increase SME lending to Rs1,500 billion and borrowing businesses to 565,000 by June 2027, with measures being taken to improve SME access to finance, encourage investment in modern technology, and enable international market competition. Revised SME regulations and measures to simplify housing-finance procedures are under implementation, along with joint risk-sharing lending, supply-chain financing promotion, and verified data sharing.
Digital systems will be promoted for small loan seekers to avoid repeated bank branch visits. The meeting reviewed NBP and First Women Bank's lending performance, with federal ministers, Prime Minister's Advisers, State Bank Governor, and other senior officials attending.
Written by urgent.news from Business Recorder's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
