Who is finance minister of Pakistan? The answer, updated October 2026: Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb — the former international banker who has run Pakistan’s economy since March 2024. Here is who he is, how he got the job, and what he has done with it.
Quick answer: Muhammad Aurangzeb is the finance minister of Pakistan (since 11 March 2024). He is a career banker — former CEO of JPMorgan’s Global Corporate Bank in Singapore and former president/CEO of Habib Bank — who entered Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet as a technocrat, renounced his Dutch nationality, and was elected Senator in April 2024.
In this guide
The short answer
Muhammad Aurangzeb. If you need one name, that is it — and it has been the answer since 11 March 2024, when he was inducted into Shehbaz Sharif’s second cabinet with the status of federal minister. He holds the Finance portfolio plus the Revenue Division, making him the government’s economic chief.
He is the 45th person to hold the office and the third banker after Shaukat Aziz and Shaukat Tarin. His official title is Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue; in Urdu media he is the wazir-e-khazana — see the Urdu-title page.
His background
Banking to the core. Aurangzeb spent his career in international banking, rising to CEO of JPMorgan’s Global Corporate Bank in Singapore before returning to Pakistan as president and CEO of Habib Bank Ltd — the country’s largest bank by deposits, where he expanded the customer base from 12 million to 36 million. He was among Pakistan’s highest-paid bank CEOs.
He is not a politician by training: his appointment was a deliberate technocrat pick, chosen over PML-N veteran Ishaq Dar. Educated in business and finance, he brought a lender’s credibility to a ministry that lives or dies on IMF confidence. Full story in his profile.
How he got the job
The 2024 appointment. After the February 2024 elections, Shehbaz Sharif needed a finance minister who could unlock IMF lending and calm markets. Aurangzeb — recommended for his banking record and IMF-facing credibility — was inducted on 11 March 2024 as one of three unelected ministers (with Mohsin Naqvi and Ahad Cheema). He resigned from HBL the same day and renounced his Dutch citizenship.
On 2 April 2024 he was elected Senator on a Punjab technocrat seat with 128 votes, satisfying the six-month constitutional requirement. The appointment drew both praise (markets rallied) and criticism (allies of Nawaz Sharif called him an outsider). Two years on, he has outlasted most recent predecessors.
What he has done
Stabilisation. His tenure’s headline achievements: keeping the IMF Extended Fund Facility on track, budgets that broadened the tax net, inflation brought down from crisis peaks, and reserves rebuilt. His current vehicle is the PM’s Access to Finance Plan 2026–2028, pushing bank credit to SMEs, agriculture, housing and IT.
The criticisms: growth remains weak, the salaried class feels over-taxed, privatisation lags, and debt servicing still devours revenue. The balanced scorecard is in the 2026 update; the cabinet context in the ministers guide.
Who is the finance minister of Pakistan?
Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb — in office since 11 March 2024, former JPMorgan banker and Habib Bank CEO.
Is the finance minister an elected politician?
He was unelected at induction but was elected to the Senate in April 2024, as the constitution requires ministers to gain parliamentary status within six months.
Who was finance minister before Aurangzeb?
Shamshad Akhtar (caretaker, Aug 2023–Mar 2024), preceded by Ishaq Dar (Sep 2022–Aug 2023).
