Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said that Pakistan is exploring opportunities to establish more joint ventures with Hong Kong to allow its firms to make secondary listings in the city.
In an interview with the South China Morning Post, Aurangzeb expressed optimism that a delegation from Hong Kong could visit Pakistan to identify areas for closer cooperation.
“If there is an opportunity for companies out of Pakistan, as joint ventures with local companies, to come in and do primary and secondary listings in the Hong Kong stock exchange, for instance, I think it can be a real win-win, not only in terms of the investment that we expect back in Pakistan but also outward investment,” he said.
The finance minister is in Hong Kong for the two-day Asian Financial Forum. High on the agenda for his meeting with the city leader on Monday was exploring opportunities for Pakistani companies to list in Hong Kong.
He said Pakistani companies and banks had traditionally opted for secondary listings on the London Stock Exchange, noting that local firms had not been aware of Hong Kong’s reputation for international capital raising.
“I would say that Hong Kong can certainly do more in promoting itself as a destination for companies to raise capital,” he added.
Earlier, during a separate media interaction, the Pakistani finance minister said that the country will issue yuan-denominated panda bonds as early as June to further integrate its capital markets with China’s, a move that will help Beijing in its push to expand the use of the currency.
“Since I took over [in March 2024], I have been very vocal about this – that we want to go for panda bonds, an inaugural sovereign panda bond … I’m pushing everyone, including our own teams, to see if we can get this done before June,” he said.
Aurangzeb said Pakistan aimed to raise $200 million to $250 million from Chinese investors, adding that it was “absolutely critical” for the nation to diversify its funding base.
The finance minister also pledged more cooperation with Beijing on the next phase of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – a key initiative for boosting bilateral trade and investment. He called for more participation from China’s private sector and export-led industries to transform Pakistan’s debt-laden economy.
Furthermore, the finance minister addressed the plenary session of Asian Financial Forum-2025 titled “Innovation: The Solution to Unlock the Next Growth Engines,” where he shared insights on leveraging innovation to drive economic growth and prosperity.
He highlighted the importance of adopting innovative approaches, technologies and business models to unlock new growth opportunities; enhance competitiveness and address emerging challenges in the global economy.
