ISLAMABAD: The Board of the Privatisation Com­mission approved the ap­­pointment of financial advisers for the divestme­nt of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd (ZTBL) on Thursday, marking it as one of the government’s priority transactions in the current privatisation pipeline.

The decision made during a board meeting led by Muhammad Ali, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation, represents a significant advancement in the divestment process.

It said the appointment of a top-tier consortium reflects the go­­vernment’s commitment to carrying out the transaction in a professional, tra­nsparent, and timely manner.

Following a competitive and transparent bidding process, a consortium led by Next Capital Ltd was selected as financial adv­iser for the ZTBL transaction. The consortium also includes Ijaz Ahmed & Associates (Legal), Baker Tilly Mehmood Idrees Qamar (Accounting & Tax), Exe­cutives Network Interna­tional (HR), Brid­­ge Public Relations (Me­dia), Savills Pakistan Pvt Ltd (Real Estate Val­ua­ti­­on), and Prima Global Con­­sulting Pvt Ltd (Actuarial).

The winning consortium achieved the highest technical and financial score among six competing bidders, which incl­uded other leading groups headed by Arif Habib Ltd, AF Fergu­son, AKD Securities Ltd, Bri­­­­­dge Factor, and JS Bank.

The board also approved the formation of a Nego­tiation Committee to finalise the Financial Advisory Services Agreement with the selected consortium.

Founded in 1961 as the ADBP, it was renamed and incorporated as Zarai Ta­­r­aqiati Bank Ltd in 2002 under the Companies Ord­inance 1984. The bank of­­fers agricultural credit and banking services to farmers nationwide and remains Pakistan’s largest public-sector agri lender.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2025