Finance Minister Eyes JVs And Listing of Pakistani Companies At Hong Kong Stock Exchange

Pakistan is interested in forming joint ventures and secondary stock market listings for its companies at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said this during an exclusive interview at the two-day Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong ahead of his meeting with Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu. The minister said Pakistani firms had the potential to leverage Hong Kong’s position as a global financial hub. He said that the primary and secondary listings of Pakistani companies on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange would be a “win-win” in boosting investment flows between the two regions. Aurangzeb commented that Hong Kong can promote itself more vigorously to companies seeking international investment by engaging Pakistan. He said the government plans to request a Hong Kong delegation to visit Pakistan and identify areas for collaboration. The minister briefed on Pakistan’s economic revival after narrowly avoiding default in 2023 through last-minute loans and securing a long-term bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Aurangzeb urged Hong Kong to reevaluate its travel warning for Pakistan which has been in place since 2014. He emphasized that international conferences and high-profile visits including the upcoming arrival of Indonesia’s president with an investment delegation showed that the situation in Pakistan was improving.