Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a series of meetings with senior executives of major international financial institutions in London on Tuesday, inviting them to expand their services and investment activities in Pakistan. The meetings with Barclays, JPMorgan, Citi, BlackRock and Rothschild & Co focused on Pakistan’s economic reforms, capital markets, banking services and opportunities for international investors. The engagements took place during the prime minister’s visit to the United Kingdom and followed his participation in the opening ceremony of the London Stock Exchange trading session.
During a meeting with a high-level JPMorgan delegation led by Matthieu Wiltz, the firm’s co-chief executive officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Shehbaz Sharif invited the financial institution to expand its presence in Pakistan. Discussions covered potential cooperation across capital markets, trade finance and investment banking. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, JPMorgan representatives reaffirmed their interest in Pakistan’s sovereign debt capital markets as well as opportunities in corporate banking.
The prime minister also met Mohammad Kamal Syed, head of Private Bank and Wealth Management UK at Barclays. Shehbaz Sharif briefed the Barclays executive on the government’s macroeconomic stabilisation measures and encouraged the institution to examine opportunities within Pakistan’s financial sector. The Prime Minister’s Office said the premier welcomed Barclays’ interest in the Pakistani market as the government seeks greater participation from international financial institutions.
Rothschild & Co was represented in another meeting by Chair of Geostrategic Advisory Lord Mark Sedwill and Head of UK Investment Banking Majid Ishaq. The discussions focused on Pakistan’s geo-economic priorities and possible advisory cooperation involving capital markets and investment strategy. The meetings formed part of the government’s broader efforts to engage global financial firms on investment opportunities and strengthen connections with international capital markets.
Shehbaz Sharif separately met senior Citi officials led by Chief Client Officer David Livingstone and encouraged the institution to expand its corporate and institutional banking services in Pakistan. The prime minister also recognised Citi’s long-standing presence in the country. In discussions with BlackRock representatives, he invited greater allocations to Pakistani equities and fixed-income instruments under the firm’s frontier markets strategy. The BlackRock delegation included co-heads of Emerging Markets and Frontiers Gordon Fraser and Sam Vecht, along with Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst Emily Fletcher.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, executives from the financial institutions expressed confidence in Pakistan’s economic reform momentum and reaffirmed their commitment to deeper engagement with the country’s financial sector. The office described the meetings as part of efforts to strengthen international investor confidence and attract sustained capital flows. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation Muhammad Ali, who also heads the Privatisation Commission, participated in the meetings.
Earlier on Tuesday, Shehbaz Sharif became the first Pakistani prime minister to open a London Stock Exchange trading session at its headquarters in Paternoster Square. He also formally inaugurated Pakistan’s $3 billion dual-tranche sovereign Eurobond, which was raised earlier in September. London Stock Exchange Group Chief Executive Officer David Schwimmer and senior officials welcomed the prime minister at the ceremony, where Shehbaz Sharif discussed Pakistan’s economic indicators and efforts to strengthen its connection with international financial markets.
Separately, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met Standard Chartered Bank Chief Executive Officer Bill Winters in London. According to the finance ministry, the meeting covered Pakistan’s structural reforms, recent macroeconomic developments and potential areas for future cooperation. Discussions included tokenisation, international Sukuk and other financing opportunities, while Standard Chartered’s investor network across Europe, the Middle East and Asia was identified as potentially useful for investor outreach and increasing Pakistan’s visibility in international markets.
The finance minister and Standard Chartered also discussed possible capital market transactions connected with the government’s privatisation programme, including opportunities on both the buy-side and sell-side. Muhammad Ali and Finance Minister’s Adviser Omer Khan attended the meeting. Taken together, the London engagements covered sovereign financing, corporate banking, wealth management, capital markets, investment strategy, digital financial developments and privatisation-related transactions, reflecting the government’s ongoing outreach to international financial institutions.
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