Pakistan and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank, have advanced plans to establish a dedicated fund aimed at supporting entrepreneurs and startups in the country.

The discussion took place during a high-level meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Simon Andrews, IFC Director for Pakistan and neighboring regions, to review ongoing support for private-sector development and investment.

Key discussion areas included:

• Startup Fund: Steps towards creating a fund in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to strengthen Pakistan's entrepreneurial ecosystem.
• Agricultural Finance: Exploring IFC's AgriConnect initiative to mobilize private financing via improved storage infrastructure and electronic warehouse receipts as collateral.
• Affordable Housing: Progress on developer finance models to address supply-side constraints.
• Public-Private Partnerships (PPP): IFC's engagement with provincial governments on water and power sector projects, including advanced metering infrastructure for power distribution companies.