SMEDA and SEDF have agreed to strengthen collaboration to improve access to finance for MSMEs across Pakistan, with both organisations outlining plans for financial literacy and SME financing helpdesks.

Federal Minister for Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh met with Sundar Green Special Economic Zone management to discuss investment facilitation, calling export led industrial growth central to Pakistan's economic future.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to prepare a comprehensive roadmap for a Private Equity Fund and the public equity market, calling private sector investment a key pillar of Pakistan's long term economic growth.

SMEDA CEO Nadia Jahangir Seth and SEDF CEO Khizar Pervaiz explored collaboration on financial and digital literacy, SME Financing Helpdesks, business formalisation, and the potential replication of Punjab's Asaan Karobar Scheme in Sindh to build a stronger MSME ecosystem.

MoITT, Ignite, and Alibaba Cloud conducted an AI for Public Sector Leaders executive training at NIC Islamabad, teaching senior government officials the fundamentals of generative AI, RAG, agentic AI, and governance essentials.

Pakistan's Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has launched the National Artificial Intelligence Advancement Initiative, issuing a Request for Proposals to build seven AI innovation hubs and incubate 560 startups across Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Muzaffarabad, and Gilgit over two years.

Ignite welcomed an Asian Development Bank mission to discuss Pakistan's digital transformation priorities and explore collaboration under the proposed Digital Balochistan Project, focusing on connectivity, the Quetta IT Park, and innovation ecosystem development in the province.

GIZ Pakistan, with EU and German backing, has launched a Challenge Fund offering matching grants of thirty thousand to one hundred thousand euros to export oriented textile and apparel SMEs in Punjab and Sindh for green and sustainable projects, with applications open until August 10.

SECP has issued an updated Master Circular for Asset Management Companies and Investment Advisers, consolidating regulations since 2009 and raising investment limits for Sehl Sarmayakari and Sahulat Sarmayakari digital accounts.

SAPM on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan called micro, small, and medium enterprises central to the government's growth strategy at Expo Faisalabad 2026, emphasizing export promotion and industrial development.

Federal Minister Jam Kamal Khan reaffirmed the government's commitment to simplifying business registration, expanding industrial infrastructure, and supporting SMEs during a meeting with the Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders.

The Ignite-managed Pakistan Startup Fund has begun hiring an air travel agency for FY27, with 39 startups funded this year and nearly 250 applications under review.