The government of Pakistan and Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) have discussed potential areas of future cooperation, including tokenization, international Sukuk issuance, financing options and capital market transactions linked to the government’s privatisation programme.
The discussions were held in London between Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb and Standard Chartered Chief Executive Officer Bill Winters. Prime Minister’s Advisor on Privatisation Muhammad Ali and Finance Minister’s Advisor Omer Khan also participated in the meeting, according to a press release issued following the talks.
During the meeting, the two sides examined opportunities for cooperation across financing and capital markets. Tokenization was among the areas discussed, reflecting the growing role of digital structures in financial markets. The talks also covered the potential issuance of international Sukuk and other financing arrangements that could support Pakistan’s funding requirements.
Possible capital market transactions associated with the government’s privatisation programme were also discussed. These could involve participation from both the buy-side and sell-side of the market, with Standard Chartered’s international financial network potentially providing access to investors and market participants across different regions.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb thanked Standard Chartered for its continued support to Pakistan and acknowledged the bank’s involvement in several financing and capital market transactions. The discussion also provided an opportunity for both sides to review Pakistan’s ongoing structural reform programme and recent developments in the country’s macroeconomic position.
A key area highlighted during the meeting was Standard Chartered’s investor network across Europe and the Middle East. The network was discussed in the context of potential capital market activity and Pakistan’s efforts to engage international investors as it works on financing and privatisation-related transactions.
The discussions come as Pakistan continues to pursue structural reforms and explore different channels for accessing international capital. The inclusion of tokenization alongside Sukuk and conventional capital market transactions indicates that the potential areas of cooperation extend across both established financial instruments and emerging digital-market structures.
Standard Chartered has previously participated in financing and capital market transactions involving Pakistan, and the latest meeting provided a platform to discuss possible future activity. The talks covered multiple areas rather than a single transaction, with tokenization, international Sukuk, financing options and privatisation-related capital market activity forming part of the broader discussion.
The meeting also linked financial-sector cooperation with Pakistan’s wider economic reform agenda. Further details on specific transactions, issuance timelines or tokenization structures were not provided in the information released about the meeting.
Follow the PakBanker Whatsapp Channel for updates across Pakistan’s banking ecosystem.