GOVERNORS’ SESSION

“The opening of State Bank of Pakistan symbolizes the sovereignty of our state in the financial sphere. I need to hardly dilate on the important role the State Bank will have to play in regulating the economic life of our country. The monetary policy of the bank will have a direct bearing on our trade and commerce, both inside Pakistan as well as with the outside world and it is only to be desired that our policy should encourage maximum production and free flow of trade.” With these words, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah inaugurated the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on 1st July 1948.  True to these words, over the last 70 seventy years the SBP has credibly committed to macroeconomic stability and equitable economic growth, and has earned the reputation of being a professional, progressive and forward-looking institution. SBP is also a symbol of unity with a diverse human capital and presence all over Pakistan. Cognizant of its nodal role in influencing the economic-cycle on the one hand while developing the financial ecosystem on the other, SBP is one of the few central banks leading the global initiative in financial inclusion.  With strict adherence to excellence in human resource, SBP is fast gearing up to meet the challenges of an increasingly integrated world of disruptive financial technologies, digitized social interactions and large information sets.

In order to celebrate 70 years of the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) journey towards professional excellence, and more importantly to discuss the looming challenges and opportunities in future, the Bank organized an insightful seminar on this historical occasion. At the seminar, current as well as former SBP governors shared their thoughts and candid views on their future vision for the Bank.

The seminar was in a panel format with a wide variety of topics including but not limited to macroeconomic management, financial sector and digital innovations and impact of global financial regulatory environment on Pakistan that came under discussion.

Former governors who were part of the panel included Dr. Ishrat Husain, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Yaseen Anwar and Ashraf Mahmood Wathra along with present Governor, Tariq Bajwa.

A special documentary focusing the history of State Bank was also screened during the seminar that can be found in the Documentary section on this page.

	Mr. Tariq Bajwa July 2017 - Present Mr. Tariq Bajwa is the current and the 19th Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan. He was appointed as the Governor SBP in July 2017 for a period of three years. Before joining SBP, Mr. Bajwa has held numerous leadership positions in the civil service including Secretary Finance, Secretary Economic Affairs Division, Chairman Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) and Secretary Finance, Punjab. In addition, he held a number of high profile positions including field assignments as Assistant and Deputy Commissioner, Secretariat positions in Federal and Provincial Secretariat, General Manager PIA, Head of Pakistan’s Trade Mission in Los Angeles, Director General Planning and Finance in Earthquake Reconstruction & Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
	Mr. Ashraf Mahmood Wathra April 2014 - April 2017 Mr. Ashraf Mahmood Wathra was the 18th Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan. Before his appointment as the Governor in April 2014, he was serving as the Deputy Governor since March 2013. Prior to joining SBP, Mr. Wathra was associated with various international and national banks and worked in various regulatory regimes in leadership positions in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In addition, he also served as member of Board of Directors of Habib Finance International, Hong Kong and Habib Finance, Australia and as First Vice Chairman of Himalayan Bank, Nepal for several years. After completing his tenure, he joined Habib Bank Limited (HBL) as Senior Corporate Consultant on International Strategy and Operations.
	Mr. Yaseen Anwar October 2011 - January 2014 Mr. Yaseen Anwar was the 17th Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan. Before his appointment as the Governor in October 2011, he was serving as the Deputy Governor since March 2007. Prior to joining SBP, Mr. Anwar worked in New York, London, Paris and Egypt with JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch in various senior capacities. After completing his tenure, he has been appointed on number of boards. Recently, he has been serving on the Advisory Board of the prestigious International Monetary Institute of Renmin University, Beijing and the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF) in the U.K. He is currently the Senior Advisor at the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited, Singapore Branch.
	Dr. Shamshad Akhtar January 2006 - January 2009 Dr. Shamshad Akhtar was the first woman and 14th Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan. Before joining SBP in January 2006, she had an illustrious career in the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank, where she held numerous leadership positions during her almost 16 years tenure. After leaving SBP, Dr. Akhtar held various senior leadership positions in ADB, World Bank and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). Most recently, she was serving as the Executive Secretary of UNESCAP. She is currently part of the caretaker cabinet of Pakistan serving as the Minister for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs.
	Dr. Ishrat Husain December 1999 - December 2005 Dr. Ishrat Husain was the 13th Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan. Before joining SBP in December 1999, Dr. Husain held various leadership positions in the World Bank in a career spanning more than two decades. After completing his tenure, he was appointed as the Chairman, National Commission for Government Reforms. For the next eight years, he served as the Dean and Director of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA). Most recently, Dr. Husain has produced his latest book “Governing the Ungovernable” on which he worked while he was a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC. He is currently Professor Emeritus and Chairman Centre for Excellence in Islamic Finance at IBA, Karachi. Dr. Ishrat has been awarded “Hilal-e-Imtiaz” and “Nishan-e-Imtiaz” for his outstanding public service.