Business

SMEDA speeds up efforts for SMEs global accreditation

Published

6 days ago

June 9, 2026

Bilal

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) has stepped up its efforts to encourage small and medium enterprises to get internationally recognised certifications through its historic ‘SME Certification & International Accreditation Grant Programme’.

Today (June 9) is World Accreditation Day 2026, commemorated with the theme “Innovation, Trust and Sustainability: The Power of Accreditation”. SMEDA’s efforts to reach out a maximum number of entrepreneurs receive resonance.

The day signifies the importance of accreditation in establishing confidence in products, services and systems, a SMEDA official told reporters here Monday. The global observance (under Global ACI) was jointly established by the International certification Forum and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation and recognises how certification promotes confidence, facilitates trade and supports sustainable economic growth.

SMEDA is assisting the SME sector to get worldwide certification to access the export markets in accordance with the vision of Prime Minister for development of SMEs which will be implemented under the supervision of Haroon Akhtar Khan, Special Assistant of PM on Industries and Production.

Under the scheme, SMEDA is granting 70 percent matching grant to meet the certification cost up to Rs 800,000 and related consultation cost up to Rs 200,000. The reaction from entrepreneurs has been particularly promising as enterprises from all sectors and locations of the country have applied for certification support, demonstrating rising awareness of the necessity of compliance, officials coordinating the project said.

The effort, officials said, is meant to encourage SMEs, particularly women and startups, to get certifications such as ISO standards, HACCP, Halal Certification and CE Marking. They stress that the project is being implemented through a transparent method, with applications handled on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to compliance with eligibility standards.

The team has received over 125 applications from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from different regions of the country and 36 of these have been approved by a committee following screening, officials said. They say most beneficiaries anticipate to receive the promised grant soon.

Officials say a crucial part of the project is special focus on women-led firms, start-ups and businesses operating in neglected locations.

They note that SMEDA has also done massive awareness and outreach initiatives including training, media engagement and digital advertising to educate entrepreneurs on the value of certification and compliance. They note that awareness and capacity building initiatives related to the project have already benefited over 1,100 entrepreneurs with the cooperation of the National Compliance Centre.

They believe SMEDA and NCC are shortly going to start fresh training sessions of 3 to 5 days with renewed focus.

The industry experts feel that the increased adoption of international standards can go a long way in strengthening Pakistan’s export environment as it will help SMEs to integrate into global value chains and access new markets.

SMEDA has provided straightforward process through SME Registration Portal for the purpose of encouragement and facilitation of the entrepreneurs.

Business

PSX crosses 176,000 points on US-Iran peace pact, investor confidence boosted

Published

3 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Bilal

Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) recorded substantial rally on the first trading day of the week after news of agreement between Iran and United States which improved sentiments across regional financial markets.

The KSE-100 had kicked off the trading session on a bullish note, adding more than 4,500 points. The KSE-100 Index shot up to 176,917 points, a huge progress over last session.

The benchmark index finished at 172,399 points on the last trading day of the previous week. That recent rally has seen good purchasing and a better feeling among investors.

Meanwhile, share markets in Asia jumped on Monday (Oct 2) while the dollar sank and oil prices tumbled as a tentative peace deal between the United States and Iran raised hopes of easing inflationary pressures internationally and lessening the need for higher interest rates.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated on social media early Monday that an agreement had been reached, while President Donald Trump said the agreement includes opening the crucial Strait of Hormuz, without details.

Business

State Bank to declare final monetary policy of fiscal year today

Published

3 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Bilal

The State Bank of Pakistan will unveil the final monetary policy for this fiscal year today, with financial markets and institutions closely monitoring the critical decision on the interest rate.

Financial polls show that 49 percent of respondents expect the central bank to maintain the interest rate in the next monetary policy. Similarly, 49 percent believe that the State Bank may hike the interest rate in the forthcoming policy announcement.

Budget 2026-27 moves forward a lot for economic growth: Aurangzeb

The study also finds that 34 percent of respondents expect the Monetary Policy Committee to raise the interest rate by 50 basis points, while 15 percent think the increase may be as high as 100 basis points. But 2 percent of respondents anticipate a possible interest rate reduction.

Market watchers expect the central bank to keep interest rate at 11.5 percent supported by lowering global oil prices, contained inflation trends and stability in the rupee.

Business

Aurangzeb says IMF had not asked for a tariff on solar panels

Published

1 day ago

June 14, 2026

Bilal

He disputed allegations that the government had considering taxing solar panels before the budget. ‘There was never any such demand from the IMF and the topic was never discussed,’ he said.

Aurangzeb stated in a media interaction that the government is working on a set of structural reforms in the energy sector to bring down electricity rates, improve the business environment and increase the competitiveness of major industries, according to a federal minister.

In reply to questions on the high energy costs and capacity charges carried over by successive governments, the minister said expensive power continues to pose a serious problem to industry including manufacturing, information technology, mining and other energy-intensive industries.

He said the government, in partnership with Energy Minister Awais Leghari, had already taken steps to remove cross-subsidies for industry and was pursuing changes through wheeling policy and other measures to increase efficiency in the electricity sector.

Read More : Solar panels, inverters, lithium batteries’ prices soar ahead of budget

The government is moving from short-term relief to more extensive, long-term structural reforms, the minister said. These efforts are to be expected to bear fruit in the coming years rather than immediately, he said.

Privatisation of energy distribution companies (DISCOs) is a crucial part of the reform agenda. The minister said three DISCOs had already been awarded expression of interest (EOI) and two more EOIs will soon be awarded. He said he was certain that the first batch of distribution businesses would be handed over to private sector management by the end of the year, with the rest to follow in phases.

There would need to be more regulatory control to accompany privatisation and work was beginning to ensure the regulatory system would be robust and effective, he said.

He also emphasised the ambitions to shift away from the existing single-buyer energy market model, controlled through the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA), to a competitive multi-buyer system. “The change will help dismantle existing monopolistic structures and improve market efficiency,” he said.