Business Recorder
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb and President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Zou Jiayi discussed on Saturday Pakistan’s broader development frameworks as well as the country’s infrastructure priorities. During the meeting on the sidelines of the World Bank–IMF Spring Meetings 2026, the minister appreciated AIIB’s robust engagement in Pakistan through an ongoing portfolio of approximately USD 1.7 billion, with an additional USD 1 billion in the pipeline, the Ministry of Finance said. Aurangzeb highlighted Pakistan’s recent return to international capital markets, including the launch of a Eurobond through private placement after a gap of four years. He described the return as “an important validation of the country’s macroeconomic stabilization efforts”. READ MORE: Aurangzeb holds bilateral meetings with Chinese, other global leaders Aurangzeb also briefed the AIIB president on the economic implications of the ongoing regional situation, particularly its impact on Pakistan’s energy supply chain. “He further outlined Pakistan’s broader development frameworks, including the 10-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF) with the World Bank, focused on population, climate, and fiscal priorities, as well as the 5-year Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) with the Asian Development Bank (ADB),” the press release said. The statement said that during the discussion, both sides acknowledged that Pakistan’s disbursement performance with AIIB has lagged behind that of other multilateral partners, including the World Bank and ADB. “Reaffirming the Government’s commitment to improving institutional processes, Senator Aurangzeb emphasized efforts to enhance implementation efficiency and reduce delays in project execution.” Finance minister meets representatives of S&P Global Moreover, Aurangzeb also held a constructive meeting with representatives of S&P Global Ratings. During the meeting, Senator Aurangzeb informed that Pakistan had met its external obligations in a timely manner, including the repayment of USD 1.4 billion on its Eurobond during the current month. He also highlighted additional financial support from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including a USD 3 billion facility and the extension of an existing USD 5 billion deposit from an annual rollover to a three-year term through 2028, further strengthening the country’s external position, the press release said. Aurangzeb noted that Pakistan has successfully re-entered international capital markets with the launch of a Eurobond through private placement after a gap of four years, priced at just under 7 percent, reflecting renewed investor confidence in the country’s macroeconomic trajectory. “He outlined Pakistan’s medium-term Global Medium Term Note (GMTN) strategy, which envisages diversified issuances across multiple instruments, including Eurobonds, Sukuk, and rupee-linked, dollar-settled bonds, aimed at broadening the investor base and mitigating foreign exchange risks.” READ MORE: Aurangzeb meets Baroness Jenny Chapman Senator Aurangzeb also noted that regulatory submissions were made and approval from the National Association of Financial Market Institutional Investors (NAFMII) was awaited regarding Pakistan’s inaugural Panda bond issuance “On the evolving regional situation, the Finance Minister highlighted the Government’s focus on managing the immediate economic impact through measures to secure energy supply chains, optimize pricing and logistics, and provide targeted digital subsidies to vulnerable segments of the population.”
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