Pakistan targets $10-15bn private equity haul with framework due in two weeks
Pakistan is aiming to pull $10-15 billion of tax-neutral private equity investment from domestic and international players, with a new policy framework covering enhanced risk portfolios due to be finalised within two weeks, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb was told at a meeting of the prime minister's committee on the National Private Equity Framework.
The framework draws on models used in the United Kingdom, the Middle East and India, which officials estimate have attracted $100-150 billion between them. Policy actions would be introduced through the finance bill for the next fiscal year, FY27-28, while regulatory steps would follow immediately after the framework is finalised rather than waiting for the budget, an official said.
The private equity push sits alongside a tightening of the country's financial crime defences. In a separate meeting on Tuesday, Aurangzeb chaired the 19th session of the National Executive Committee on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism, a high-level body overseeing Pakistan's AML-CFT regime, the Ministry of Finance said.
The committee reviewed compliance with decisions from its previous meeting and progress on the regime, including the performance of the Financial Monitoring Unit, institutional capacity and initiatives involving artificial intelligence and machine learning. The finance minister stressed the need for timely follow-up and stronger coordination among institutions to make the national framework work.
The NEC also approved a revision to the thresholds for Currency Transaction Reports under the framework for analysing suspicious transaction reports and CTRs. It backed adding Section 28 of the Pakistan Maritime Zones Act, 2023 to Schedule I of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, and approved the inclusion of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority in Schedule IV of the AMLA, bringing the country's virtual asset regulator formally into the AML framework.
