Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and commercial banks to further simplify and expand credit access for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), startups and small farmers, calling financial inclusion a top priority for sustainable economic growth.

Chairing a high-level review meeting on SME and agricultural financing, the prime minister stressed the need for faster, simpler lending mechanisms to support business expansion, innovation and job creation, according to a Prime Minister’s Office statement.

He instructed banks to ensure priority financing for service providers in the agriculture sector and to make loans for modern machinery and technology more accessible to SMEs and small farmers to improve productivity and competitiveness.

The prime minister also directed his Special Assistant on Industries and Production, Haroon Akhtar, along with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA), to visit all provinces, including Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and work with provincial governments on a coordinated national SME facilitation policy.

Highlighting the role of SMEs as the backbone of advanced economies, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan must replicate successful global models. He underscored the importance of entrepreneurship training for youth to promote new business formation and broaden economic activity.

The prime minister said he would personally chair and monitor progress on the initiative. He also announced the formation of a sub-committee to present actionable proposals to further ease credit access for the private sector, particularly SMEs and agriculture, to accelerate economic growth.

Officials briefed the meeting that private-sector lending has improved markedly in recent years. By December 2025, the number of bank borrowers had more than doubled to over 303,000 compared with 2021-22, while total credit outstanding rose to Rs1.1 trillion.

The meeting was also informed that around three million farmers benefited from agricultural credit during the current year, up from 2.8 million last year. Agricultural financing now covers crops, modern equipment, livestock and fisheries, while banks are prioritizing loans for new businesses and advanced machinery.

SMEDA officials said a financial literacy and awareness programme for SMEs would be launched shortly. Participants were also briefed on Punjab’s loan scheme for service providers supplying modern farm machinery and the SBP’s fully digital “Zarkhez-e App,” which aims to facilitate small farmers and has attracted strong uptake.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kiyani, SAPM Haroon Akhtar, SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad, senior federal officials, and chief secretaries from all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.