{
  "id": 7455952,
  "title": "Business community split over SBP move",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/business-community-split-over-sbp-move",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-15T02:48:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn",
    "slug": "dawn",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2029995/business-community-split-over-sbp-move"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The business community in Pakistan gave a divided response to the State Bank of Pakistan's (SBP) decision to maintain the policy rate at 11.5 per cent during the Monetary Policy Committee's (MPC) meeting on Monday. While some entities welcomed the decision, others criticized it for failing to address the country's economic stagnation. The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) expressed disappointment, labeling the decision as highly contractionary and calling for a reduction in the rate to single digits to alleviate the heavy burden of doing business in the country. FPCCI President Atif Ikram Sheikh highlighted various factors such as soaring energy tariffs, rising petroleum prices, geopolitical uncertainties, and exorbitant financing costs that are collectively stifling industrial revival and contributing to a staggering trade deficit. On the other hand, the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) deemed the SBP's decision as prudent and balanced, citing strong foreign exchange reserves, robust remittances, and uneven industrial recovery as key factors supporting the rationale for maintaining the interest rate. The OICCI emphasized that while inflation and core inflation remain elevated, avoiding further tightening at this stage would provide businesses with policy continuity and room for investment planning. Similarly, the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry also backed the decision, citing global inflationary pressures stemming from the Middle East conflict, which have led to increased energy and commodity prices. The chamber argued that a steady hand on monetary policy is crucial to the stability that has been painstakingly achieved over the past two years.",
  "summary": "LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: The business community on Monday gave a mixed response to the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) decision to keep the policy rate unchanged at 11.5 per cent, with some backing the move while others called for further cuts to revive investment and industrial activity. The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has expressed disappointment over the decision…",
  "key_points": [
    "Business community divided over SBP maintaining 11.5% policy rate",
    "FPCCI criticizes decision as highly contractionary, demands rate cut",
    "OICCI and Rawalpindi Chamber support decision, citing inflation pressures"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The SBP's decision to hold the policy rate steady has widened divisions within the business community, with some groups seeing it as contractionary and others viewing it as a prudent move for stability.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn Business",
        "title": "Business community split over SBP’s decision to keep policy rate unchanged",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/business-community-split-over-sbps-decision-to-keep-policy-rate",
        "published": "2026-09-15T02:47:15.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}