PM courts global financial giants in London

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday met senior executives of leading global financial institutions in London, inviting them to expand their operations and investment in Pakistan as the government seeks to build investor confidence and attract capital. During meetings with executive of Barclays, JP Morgan, Citi, BlackRock and Rothschild & Co, the prime minister highlighted the government's macroeconomic stabilisation measures and ongoing reforms, while discussing opportunities in capital markets, banking and investment. At a meeting with a JP Morgan delegation led by its EMEA Co-CEO Matthieu Wiltz, Shehbaz discussed cooperation in capital markets, trade finance and investment banking and invited the firm to expand its footprint in Pakistan. The delegation reaffirmed its interest in sovereign debt markets and corporate banking. The prime minister also encouraged Barclays to explore opportunities in Pakistan's financial sector and urged Citi to expand its corporate and institutional banking services, while discussing Pakistan's geo-economic priorities and potential advisory cooperation with Rothschild & Co. During his meeting with BlackRock executives, Shehbaz invited increased investment in Pakistani equities and fixed-income instruments under the firm's frontier markets strategy. Both sides stressed the importance of policy consistency in strengthening investor confidence. The Prime Minister's Office said the executives of the financial institutions expressed confidence in Pakistan's economic reform momentum and reaffirmed their commitment to deepening engagement with the country's financial sector. Earlier, Shehbaz became the first Pakistani prime minister to open the trading session at the London Stock Exchange, where he also formally inaugurated Pakistan's $3 billion dual-tranche sovereign Eurobond raised earlier this month. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation Muhammad Ali accompanied the prime minister in the meetings. Separately, Aurangzeb met Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters and discussed Pakistan's structural reforms, macroeconomic developments and potential collaboration in tokenisation, international Sukuk and other financing opportunities. The meeting also covered potential capital market transactions linked to the government's privatisation programme and efforts to broaden investor outreach across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.