Finance Minister Aurangzeb in US for IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings
Washington D.C. – Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has departed for the United states to attend the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), according to Radio Pakistan.the visit follows recent discussions between an IMF mission and Pakistani authorities regarding reviews of existing lending programs totaling $8.4 billion, which concluded without a staff-level agreement (SLA).
Prior to his departure, Minister aurangzeb expressed optimism that an SLA with the IMF would be finalized during his six-day trip to Washington. The schedule includes participation in over 65 events, forums, ceremonies, and meetings.
During the meetings, Aurangzeb will represent Pakistan at plenary sessions of both the IMF and the World Bank. he is scheduled to meet with senior representatives from the IMF, WB, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).
Key engagements include a meeting with World Bank President Ajay Banga and an invitation to a dinner hosted for select Finance Ministers. The Finance Minister will also meet with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, both on the sidelines of the G24 meetings and within the Middle east, North Africa and Pakistan (MENAP) countries platform.He is slated to deliver a keynote address at the MENAP forum.
The visit also includes participation in a World Bank-organized regional roundtable focused on the digital transformation of Pakistan’s Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), alongside tax authorities from other nations. Aurangzeb is also expected to attend events hosted by the World Economic Forum and hold bilateral meetings with counterparts from China, the united Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Azerbaijan.
Beyond the IMF and WB, the finance Minister will engage with top officials from the White House, the US Departments of State and Treasury, and the International Progress Finance Corporation (DFC). A meeting with the chairman of the Financial Services committee of Congress is also planned.
Aurangzeb’s agenda includes meetings with global credit ratings agencies, commercial banks – especially investment banks from the Middle East – and visits to leading US think tanks, including the Atlantic Council and the Peterson Institute of International Economics (PIIE).
