InvestPak: SBP’s Digital Investment Platform Can Drive Financial Inclusion, Says Mian Zahid Hussain
Business leader urges the government to pair the InvestPak initiative with fiscal discipline, investor awareness and stronger support for the productive economy.
Mian Zahid Hussain welcomes the launch of InvestPak as a step towards financial inclusion and economic growth.
InvestPak is a landmark initiative that can expand financial inclusion and improve public access to government securities, according to Mian Zahid Hussain, President of the Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF).
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Mian Zahid Hussain welcomed the State Bank of Pakistan‘s launch of InvestPak, describing it as more than a conventional savings scheme. He said the platform represents an important financial reform that could strengthen Pakistan’s trade, industry and productive economy if implemented effectively.
He noted that government borrowing from commercial banks has significantly reduced credit available for the private sector. During the first eleven months of fiscal year 2026, the government borrowed nearly Rs. 3.5 trillion from banks, while the private sector received only Rs. 986 billion in financing.
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According to Mian Zahid Hussain, InvestPak can reduce the government’s dependence on commercial banks by attracting investments from individuals, companies, insurance firms and other non-banking institutions. He said this would create greater lending opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), exporters, agriculture, logistics and other productive sectors.
He also highlighted Pakistan’s rising public debt, which reached Rs. 81.95 trillion by May 2026. The figure includes Rs. 58.11 trillion in domestic debt and Rs. 23.84 trillion in external debt. He said expanding public access to Market Treasury Bills (MTBs), Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs) and Government Ijarah Sukuk would broaden the investor base and reduce the banking sector’s dominance in government financing.
Mian Zahid Hussain stressed that InvestPak should not become another tool for financing government borrowing alone. He said the platform would achieve its full potential only if the government also enforces fiscal discipline, controls public spending and encourages productive investment.
He added that the corporate sector could use the platform to manage surplus funds more efficiently, while investors seeking Shariah-compliant options could benefit from Government Ijarah Sukuk.
He also called on the State Bank of Pakistan and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry to launch awareness campaigns in Urdu and regional languages. Such initiatives, he said, would help small businesses and individual investors better understand the platform and its benefits.
He emphasized the need for complete transparency regarding profit rates, taxation, maturity periods and early redemption rules. He also identified cybersecurity, simplified registration procedures and strong investor protection as essential factors for building public confidence.
Mian Zahid Hussain concluded that sustainable economic growth requires directing national savings toward productive industrial investment rather than financing unproductive government expenditure. He urged policymakers to ensure that funds mobilized through InvestPak support job creation, industrial expansion and export growth.
