Pakistan pushes IT/ITeS expansion, SME financing

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — Pakistan’s finance minister convened with the global executive director of professional accountancy body ACCA in Islamabad to align on an agenda spanning information technology and IT-enabled services sector expansion, small-and-medium enterprise financing reform, and the integration of artificial intelligence and blockchain upskilling into the country’s professional development pipeline.

The September 10, 2026 discussions also addressed the transition of Pakistani shared service centers toward higher-value operations and the modernization of fiscal frameworks through accrual-based accounting standards.

Finance minister, ACCA align on IT talent and SME reform pathway

According to APP, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, met with Lucia Real-Martin, ACCA Global Executive Director, to explore pathways for expanding Pakistan’s information technology (IT) and IT-enabled services sector through structured human capital development aligned to international employer demand.

The two parties discussed 5G connectivity as a digital infrastructure priority alongside skills programs in artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain, positioning upskilling investment as a prerequisite for transitioning Pakistan’s services sector into higher-complexity delivery models.

ACCA and the Ministry of Finance identified fractional chief financial officer services for small and medium enterprises and accrual-based accounting modernization as parallel reform tracks to strengthen Pakistan’s enterprise financial readiness for international engagement.

“Talent export and domestic talent retention must be treated as complementary strategies,” said Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue of Pakistan.

Shared service center shift signals move toward higher-value IT delivery

Aurangzeb framed Pakistan’s IT and ITeS growth potential as dependent on structured professional capacity building, with the ACCA partnership providing a credentialing and training pathway aligned to global employer standards.

The meeting identified the transition of shared service centers from execution-tier operations toward higher-value output as a strategic lever for expanding the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector’s contribution to Pakistan’s export base.

Pakistan’s professional services sector, which ACCA said employs a significant share of the country’s internationally credentialed finance and accountancy workforce, provides the talent foundation for an IT-adjacent knowledge process outsourcing industry.

ACCA said both parties committed to long-term cooperation on economic transformation, professional capacity building, and enterprise financial readiness as formal outcomes of the Islamabad meeting.

Pakistan’s IT and ITeS sector expansion agenda, anchored in human capital investment and 5G infrastructure development, positions the country’s offshore outsourcing proposition toward knowledge-intensive service lines that command stronger margins than execution-tier delivery.

For enterprise buyers evaluating BPO providers across South Asia, the ACCA-Ministry framework signals a government-backed effort to align Pakistani professional credentials with what international clients require from an emerging outsourcing destination.

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• Pakistan call centers hit record $392Mn in exports: report · 1 Sep
• Pakistan IT exports hit $3.4Bn as AI outsourcing demand surges · 27 May

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