Staff Reporter
Karachi
State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) relaxes refinance scheme to prevent large scale layoff of workers due to adverse effects on the economy due to coronavirus.
The SBP on Monday said that since its launch of Refinance Scheme to Support Employment and Prevent Layoff of Workers, called Rozgar Scheme in common parlance, State Bank has been constantly receiving feedback from various stakeholders, making the scheme more facilitative for businesses and creating incentives to prevent layoff of employees under current COVID Pandemic scenario.
Many of the changes in the scheme were carried out to ensure that the benefits of the scheme particularly reach to the SMEs that offer employment to a large number of people. In this regard, recently announced Government’s risk sharing facility and allowing corporate guarantees as collateral are expected to incentivize banks in extending loans to collateral deficient SMEs. Now taking another step further to facilitate middle and large businesses, which employ large numbers of people, to ensure payment of wages and salaries under this scheme, SBP has decided to enhance its refinance limits announced earlier.
Hence, State Bank will now finance up to 100 percent of wages and salaries of businesses with average 3-month wage bill of up to Rs500 million (see table below). This can be used for the onward payment of wages and salaries for the months of April, May and June, 2020. Earlier, 100 percent financing was available up to a wage bill of Rs200 million only. Similarly, for businesses with 3-month wage bill exceeding Rs500 million, State Bank will now finance of up to 75 percent with maximum financing of Rs1 billion.
Earlier, 75 percent financing was available up to a maximum of Rs375 million and 50 percent up to a maximum of Rs500 million. The above changes are applicable with immediate effect. However, businesses that had earlier availed lower financing due to applicable limits can now avail additional financing on the basis of revised criteria.
A comparison of previous and new This increase in financing limits along with Government’s risk sharing facility for collateral deficient SMEs and small corporates will enable the full array of businesses to benefit from SBP’s Rozgar Scheme and hence prevent large scale layoffs. Further, State Bank has also extended the availability of its refinance scheme to non-deposit taking financial institutions as well.
