PM Shehbaz meets global financial firms in London, invites them to invest and expand services in Pakistan

PM Shehbaz meets global financial firms in London, invites them to invest and expand services in Pakistan.

Key points

• Syed Irfan Raza Published September 29, 2026 Updated September 29, 2026 10: 07pm.
• The delegation comprised the co-heads of Emerging Markets and Frontiers, Gordon Fraser and Sam Vecht, along with Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst Emily Fletcher.
• PM Shehbaz additionally met with Rothschild & Co, represented by Chair of Geostrategic Advisory Lord Mark Sedwill and Head of UK Investment Banking Majid Ishaq.
• Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met Standard Chartered Bank's CEO Bill Winters in London on Tuesday, according to a statement by the finance ministry.
• Advisor to the Prime Minister on Privatisation Muhammad Ali and Advisor to the Finance Minister Omer Khan were additionally present in the gathering.

Syed Irfan Raza Published September 29, 2026 Updated September 29, 2026 10: 07pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday met with senior executives from leading global financial institutions in London and invited them to invest and expand their services in Pakistan.

During a busy day in the UK capital, the premier held a series of meetings with top authorities of Barclays, JP Morgan, Citi, BlackRock and Rothschild & Co.

Earlier in the day, he additionally became the first Pakistani prime minister to open trading at the London Stock Exchange, according to his office.

In an official note, the PM's Office (PMO) remarked the premier's engagements with the global firms "underscored growing international financial sector interest in Pakistan's economic reform trajectory and improving investment climate".

In his session with a high-level JP Morgan delegation led by its co-CEO for Europe, Middle East and Africa Matthieu Wiltz, PM Shehbaz invited the firm to expand its footprint in Pakistan.

He discussed deepening the partnership throughout capital markets, trade finance and investment banking.

According to PMO, the JP Morgan delegation "reaffirmed its interest in sovereign debt capital markets and corporate banking opportunities".

Session with Mohammad Kamal Syed, head of Private Bank and Wealth Management UK at Barclays, PM Shehbaz briefed him on the government's macroeconomic stabilisation measures and encouraged Barclays to explore opportunities in the country's financial sector. The prime minister welcomed the bank's "interest in Pakistan", PMO remarked.

"Discussions centred on Pakistan's geo-economic priorities and potential advisory collaboration on capital markets and investment strategy, " PMO remarked.

Notably, the premier additionally met a group of senior office-holders of Citi, led by Chief Client Officer David Livingstone, encouraging the bank to expand its "corporate and institutional banking services" in Pakistan.

Notably, the prime minister commended Citi's long-standing presence in Pakistan, the statement continued.

In his session with a BlackRock delegation, PM Shehbaz "invited increased allocations to Pakistani equities and fixed income within the firm's frontier markets strategy, with both sides emphasising the importance of sustained policy consistency in building investor confidence".

Meanwhile, the delegation comprised the co-heads of Emerging Markets and Frontiers, Gordon Fraser and Sam Vecht, along with Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst Emily Fletcher.

"Across all engagements, the visiting executives expressed confidence in Pakistan's economic reform momentum and reaffirmed their institutions' commitment to deepening engagement with the country's financial sector, " PMO remarked.

It asserted that the meetings reflected the "growing traction of Pakistan's economic reform programme among the world's leading financial institutions".

Meanwhile, the engagements additionally "mark a significant step in the government's broader effort to strengthen international investor confidence and attract sustained capital flows into the country", the statement highlighted.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Adviser to PM on Privatisation Muhammad Ali. This person additionally heads the Privatisation Commission, were present in the meetings as well. London Stock Exchange ceremony.

In an earlier statement, PMO observed that PM Shehbaz became the first prime minister from Pakistan to open the London Stock Exchange's (LSE) trading session.

He additionally formally inaugurated Pakistan's landmark $3 billion dual-tranche sovereign Eurobond, raised earlier this month.

LSE's market opening ceremony is held at its headquarters in Paternoster Square and formally marks the start of the trading day in London.

London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) Chief Executive Officer David Schwimmer and senior authorities of the group welcomed the prime minister on his arrival.

Aurangzeb, the LSEG CEO, the Privatisation Commission head, Pakistan High Commissioner Tipu Usman, members of the Pakistani delegation and relevant British authorities attended the ceremony.

"Pakistan in recent years has worked very hard to strengthen its economy, " PM Shehbaz remarked while addressing the audience, terming the country's improved macroeconomic indicators as "promising" for the future.

He went on to praise Aurangzeb and his team for arranging the Eurobond sale. It he remarked explained "our hard work" in volumes.

For context, the premier asserted that if the Middle East conflict had not erupted, Pakistan would have "taken off like other emerging economies".

He additionally highlighted Islamabad's role as a mediator in the war between the United States and Iran.

"Now is the time, because of this Gulf crisis, new lessons have to be learnt, " PM Shehbaz stressed.

"Investors are now trying to evaluate and assess safer markets and Pakistan is a market where we can easily attract foreign investments, which are highly profitable, mutually beneficial, safe and secure, " he observed.

Meanwhile, the prime minister expressed "his happiness on his participation to open London Stock Exchange session" and termed it a step towards "rebuilding their wonderful connection" with LSE, PMO remarked.

Addressing the LSEG CEO, the premier remarked that they would like to seek his guidance and advice on how to further engage international financial markets to play a role in Pakistan, not just in terms of sovereign debt but through highly attractive investments. Finance Minister Aurangzeb meets SCB CEO in London.

Aurangzeb "appreciated SCB's continued support to Pakistan and its cooperation in various financing and capital market transactions", the statement remarked.

According to The ministry, the two discussed Pakistan's ongoing structural reforms and the latest macroeconomic developments.

They additionally discussed future areas of collaboration, including "tokenisation, international Sukuk and other financing opportunities", according to the statement.

"SCB's strong investor network across Europe, the Middle East and Asia can play an important role in facilitating continued investor outreach and enhancing market visibility for Pakistan, " the ministry remarked.

Notably, the discussions additionally included potential capital market transactions to backing the privatisation programme of the administration, covering opportunities on both the buy-side and sell-side, it went on.

Taken together, the developments around PM Shehbaz meets global financial firms in London, invites them to invest point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.