Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met National Bank of Pakistan’s leadership on Thursday to discuss banking priorities, including women’s financial inclusion, digital transformation and SME support.
The federal minister for finance and revenue visited NBP’s head office in Karachi on October 1. He met President Imran Sarwar, with Chairman Naved A. Khan also attending.
Aurangzeb congratulated Sarwar on his appointment and conveyed his best wishes for the role. Their discussions covered NBP’s operations and broader financial-sector issues, according to the meeting statement.
Sarwar briefed the minister on the bank’s performance and initiatives. These included efforts to expand women’s access to financial services and support their economic participation.
He also outlined NBP’s work on digital transformation and support for small and medium-sized enterprises. Improvements to customer services and facilities formed another part of the briefing.
The two sides exchanged views on how banks could support Pakistan’s financial and economic priorities. The statement did not announce a new lending programme, financing allocation or implementation deadline.
New leadership takes charge
The meeting followed NBP’s September announcement welcoming Sarwar as president and chief executive officer.
According to the bank, Sarwar brings more than 36 years of experience across Pakistani and international markets. His background covers corporate, institutional and investment banking, alongside credit and risk management.
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Before joining NBP, he served at United Bank Limited as group executive for risk and credit policy and chief risk officer.
He previously held senior positions at Standard Chartered, including managing director and head of corporate banking for the UAE. His board experience includes Khushhali Microfinance Bank and Pakistan Mortgage Refinance Company.
Digital services move forward
NBP’s digital transformation agenda has recently included changes to government fee collections.
On September 7, the bank announced digital passport-fee payments through Raast Person-to-Merchant QR codes. The service allows citizens to pay through participating banks’ mobile applications.
NBP said the initiative supports the government’s Cashless Pakistan agenda and the digitisation of public payments and receipts.
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In a separate September engagement, bank and passport officials reviewed the service and explored an alternative payment mechanism using payment slip identification numbers. That discussion focused on convenience and continuity of passport-fee collections.
These developments provide context for Sarwar’s briefing on digital services, although the October meeting statement did not identify individual projects.
Wider push to expand financing
The NBP visit came as Aurangzeb emphasised broader access to finance during his Karachi engagements.
Separately, at the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry on October 1, he identified financing access among six government priorities.
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That agenda covers SMEs, agriculture, housing and underserved borrowers. He also stressed that private businesses should lead growth through investment, productivity, exports and employment.
At NBP, the discussion focused on the bank’s initiatives, customer facilities and the financial sector’s contribution to those wider economic objectives.
