Bangkok:Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb expressed appreciation for the United Kingdom's support of the Reform for Growth Programme and welcomed the increasing investments from British International Investment. This was during his meeting with the UK's Minister for International Development, Kirsty McNeill, on the sidelines of the World Bank Group-IMF Annual Meetings 2026.
According to Radio Pakistan, the discussions focused on economic reforms, bilateral cooperation, and climate resilience. Aurangzeb emphasized export-led growth, tariff and tax reforms, and the expansion of IT exports and upskilling freelancers. They also talked about fiscal consolidation, stronger reserves, sovereign rating upgrades, and renewed access to international capital markets.
The meeting also covered topics such as privatization, airport outsourcing, and aviation cooperation, with potential engagements with Airbus and Rolls-Royce being on the agenda.
Additionally, Finance Minister Aurangzeb praised Standard Chartered Bank for its role in bridging external financing gaps and aiding Pakistan's return to international capital markets. In a separate meeting with bank officials in Bangkok, he welcomed proposed diaspora deposit products and financing against rupee-denominated securities or cash. Discussions included gold-backed liquidity and energy-price hedging with a focus on simple structures and competitive costs, as well as multilateral guarantees and export-credit financing for key power transmission, railway, and road projects.
