Banking inertia

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s latest call to banks to expand lending to SMEs is nothing new. Every government over the last three decades has made a similar appeal. Ambitious targets are announced, committees are formed and banks are urged to finance sectors that generate employment and exports. However, little changes. No doubt, raising SME lending’s share of private sector credit from 7pc to 10pc within two years and increasing the number of SME borrowers from 310,000 to 750,000 under the...

By none@none.com (Editorial)