Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, held a meeting with the senior leadership of Franklin Templeton on the sidelines of the World Bank–IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C.
The Finance Minister updated the delegation on the Government’s ongoing privatization programme, noting that 28–29 state-owned enterprises have been formally handed over to the Privatization Commission. He also discussed the outsourcing of airports, including Islamabad, Karachi, and Sialkot, as well as the privatization of electricity distribution companies.
On capital markets, the Finance Minister briefed the team on the Global Medium-Term Note (GMTN) programme, upcoming requests for proposals (RFPs) for lead managers, and Pakistan’s planned return to international capital markets after a gap of four years. He emphasized that the Government would remain selective with respect to pricing and timing, given prevailing market volatility.
The Finance Minister further informed the delegation that the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) has been formally established, that No Objection Certificates have been issued to Binance and other virtual asset service providers, and that the State Bank of Pakistan has rescinded its 2018 restriction on the use of banking channels for cryptocurrency transactions.
He also expressed keen interest in establishing a structured training programme for officials of the State Bank of Pakistan and the Ministry of Finance.
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