Finance Minister Discusses Economic and Commercial Cooperation with US EXIM Bank President

By Elaine Pasquini

Washington, DC: During his visit to Washington, DC the week of July 20, 2026, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met with US EXIM Bank President and Chairman John Jovanovic.

The Export-Import Bank of the United States is the official export credit agency of the US federal government founded in 1934. Jovanovic has served as its president since 2025.

The productive meeting built upon their previous dialogue this past April when the two financiers discussed expanding bilateral economic cooperation during the annual spring gathering of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

In his discussion with Chairman Jovanovic, the finance minister considered expanding Pakistan–US economic and commercial cooperation with a focus on financing for specific long-term projects and increased trade in agricultural commodities, including cotton and soybeans, as well as hydrocarbons.

Minister Aurangzeb welcomed the US EXIM Bank's proposal of developing a broader framework to consolidate priority projects, establish a multi-year transaction pipeline, and facilitate US financing, technology, equipment and services.

Both sides agreed to identify near-term transactions, designate focal persons, and work towards finalizing the strategic framework, with a view to having it signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session next month. 

(Elaine Pasquini is a freelance journalist. Her reports appear in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and Nuze.Ink.)