PM Shehbaz meets heads of Barclays, JP Morgan, Citi, BlackRock in London

LONDON: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday held a series of meetings with senior executives from leading global financial institutions including Barclays, J.P. Morgan, Citi, BlackRock and Rothschild & Co during his visit to the United Kingdom.

The engagements underscored growing international financial sector interest in Pakistan’s economic reform trajectory and improving investment climate.

Amid meeting Mohammad Kamal Syed, Head of Private Bank and Wealth Management UK at Barclays, the prime minister welcomed the bank’s interest in Pakistan and briefed him on the government’s macroeconomic stabilization measures, encouraging Barclays to explore opportunities in the country’s financial sector. With a high-level delegation led by Matthieu Wiltz, Co-CEO for EMEA, J.P. Morgan, the prime minister discussed deepening the partnership across capital markets, trade finance, and investment banking, and invited the firm to expand its footprint in Pakistan.

The delegation reaffirmed its interest in sovereign debt capital markets and corporate banking opportunities. The prime minister also met a group of senior officials of Citi, led by David Livingstone, Chief Client Officer. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif commended the bank’s long-standing presence in Pakistan and encouraged an expansion of its corporate and institutional banking services in the country.

In a meeting with a BlackRock delegation comprising Gordon Fraser and Sam Vecht, Co-Heads of Emerging Markets and Frontiers, and Emily Fletcher, Portfolio Manager and Research Analyst, the Prime Minister invited increased allocations to Pakistani equities and fixed income within the firm’s frontier markets strategy, with both sides emphasizing the importance of sustained policy consistency in building investor confidence. In a meeting with Rothschild & Co, represented by Lord Mark Sedwill, Chair of Geostrategic Advisory and Majid Ishaq, Head of UK Investment Banking, discussions centered on Pakistan’s geo-economic priorities and potential advisory collaboration on capital markets and investment strategy.

Across all engagements, the visiting executives expressed confidence in Pakistan’s economic reform momentum and reaffirmed their institutions’ commitment to deepening engagement with the country’s financial sector.

The meetings reflect the growing traction of Pakistan’s economic reform program among the world’s leading financial institutions, and mark a significant step in the government’s broader effort to strengthen international investor confidence and attract sustained capital flows into the country.

Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb and Advisor to PM on Privatisation and Chairman Privatization Commission Muhammad Ali were also present in the meetings.