F.P. Report
FAISALABAD: The Bank of Punjab today held a seminar at Faisalabad for creating awareness about the various schemes by State Bank of Pakistan for financing Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) including the Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan Youth Entrepreneurship Scheme (PMKJ-YES), SME Asaan Finance (SAAF) Scheme, and Government’s Mark-up Subsidy Scheme for Low-Cost Housing (GMSS-LCH).
The seminar was attended by senior officials from the State Bank of Pakistan BSC Faisalabad along with the office bearers and members of All Pakistan Bedsheet & Upholstery Manufacturers Association (APBUMA) and Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PHMA).
Speaking on the occasion, Asif Riaz, Group Head Retail & Priority Sectors Lending Group, BOP highlighted the importance of SMEs and said that such seminars will help create awareness about various financing options available through banks, especially the recently launched SAAF Scheme which offers collateral-free loans up to Rs 10 million for eligible SMEs. He added that this program shall prove to be a game changer for SME segment.
Muhammad Akbar, Senior Joint Director, State Bank of Pakistan, Kashif Ahmed Zia, Chairman PHMA and Arif Ehsan Malik, Central Chairman, APBUMA appreciated BOP’s role in providing loans to SMEs and thanked the bank’s management for organizing the seminar.
BOP has been the No. 1 bank in PMKJ-YES for the second consecutive year and is the sole executing bank for the Punjab Rozgar Scheme of the Government of Punjab. The bank has so far disbursed more than Rs 10 billion in Government Schemes.
