Rs511bn approved, Rs91bn disbursed under Apna Ghar housing scheme

Banks have approved Rs511 billion in financing under the Apna Ghar housing scheme, but only Rs91 billion has been disbursed so far, according to a Ministry of Finance statement issued on Wednesday. The figures were presented at the sixth meeting of the Access to Finance Steering Committee, chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

Banks have received 217,001 applications so far. Of these, 86,896 have been approved and 15,584 housing loans have been disbursed. The approval rate rose to 40 percent from 28 percent in June. Only about 18 percent of approved financing has reached borrowers.

Khurram Schehzad, Advisor to the Finance Minister, said in a post on X that approved financing rose 245 percent from Rs148 billion in June to Rs511 billion as of October 23, 2026. Disbursements rose 333 percent from Rs21 billion to Rs91 billion over the same period. He wrote: "More financing. More families closer to owning their homes."

Outstanding housing finance stood at Rs455 billion for 241,500 borrowers. The committee discussed steps to accelerate housing disbursements and address supply constraints, including financing for builders and under-construction projects. The government has set a target of financing 150,000 homes under the scheme by June 2027.

Aurangzeb called on financial institutions and implementing agencies to step up SME and agriculture financing with greater urgency and faster disbursements. Outstanding SME financing reached Rs1.148 trillion as of October 23, 2026, including Rs538 billion for small enterprises.

Agriculture financing reached Rs1.329 trillion across about 3.5 million borrowers. Under the Zarkhez-e Asaan Zarai Qarza scheme, 20,176 applications worth Rs8.674 billion were approved, and 6,132 collateral-free loans worth Rs2.34 billion were disbursed to smallholder farmers. The committee also discussed strengthening livestock and dairy financing and widening private-sector participation in agricultural value chains.

Under the Pakistan Accelerated Vehicle Electrification (PAVE) scheme, 21,918 applications involving Rs3.06 billion were approved. Loans worth Rs1.093 billion were disbursed in 5,506 cases, and 3,263 electric vehicles were delivered.

The committee also reviewed digital initiatives for credit assessment, including pilots for SME credit scoring and exporter financing. The minister emphasised secure, consent-based data sharing and confidentiality safeguards.