PM Shehbaz Sharif directs banks and financial institutions to improve access to credit for agriculture, SMEs and affordable housing under the Access to Finance Plan 2026-28.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed banks and financial institutions to ensure easier and faster access to loans for farmers, small and medium-sized enterprises and beneficiaries of the ‘Apna Ghar’ housing program.
Chairing a review meeting on the Access to Finance Plan 2026-28 in Islamabad, Shehbaz said the government would encourage banks that play an effective role in expanding access to finance for public welfare and economic activity.
The prime minister described agriculture as the backbone of Pakistan’s economy and directed authorities to ensure farmers have easy and uninterrupted access to financial resources.
According to a briefing, banks had provided Rs126.8 billion in agricultural loans by August 2026. The lending target for the sector has been set at Rs200 billion by June 2028 under the Access to Finance Plan.
Officials also briefed the meeting on the Zarkhez app, introduced to facilitate farmers’ access to financing. The platform has received 35,838 applications, with loans worth Rs7.35 billion approved and Rs1.96 billion disbursed so far.
Housing loans under ‘Apna Ghar’
The meeting was told that providing affordable housing to low- and middle-income groups remains a government priority.
Shehbaz directed provincial chief secretaries to conduct a comprehensive survey to identify properties that can be mortgaged to secure bank financing under the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar program.
Officials said 147,504 applications had been received under the program, of which 53,127 were approved, involving a combined amount of Rs313.42 billion. Loans totaling Rs45.43 billion have so far been disbursed to 8,739 applicants.
A modern system is also being developed to identify plots across the country that meet mortgage requirements. The pilot project will begin in Islamabad, with major housing developers also expected to participate.
SME financing
Banks had extended Rs106.7 billion in loans to SMEs by August 2026, according to the briefing. The lending target for the sector has also been set at Rs200 billion by June 2028.
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) has additionally provided specialized financial training to 1,096 small businesses over the past three months.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, federal ministers Ahsan Khan Cheema, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Muhammad Aurangzeb and Riaz Hussain Pirzada, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani and Prime Minister’s Adviser Haroon Akhtar Khan.
State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmad, chief secretaries from the provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, and presidents and chief executive officers of Pakistani banks also attended.
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