Reducing interest rates help spur consumer financing.

Byline: KHALIL AHMED

Reducing interest rates help spur consumer financing Interview with Ms. Natasha Haseeb -

analyst

PAGE: Tell me something about yourself, please:

Natasha Haseeb: I am an anchorperson at Pakistan Television News. I have done my MPhil in Political Science from the University of Karachi and about my professional life I am conducting a business show named 'Baat Karobar Ki' which includes the different aspects of businesses, investments, economy, and stock market of the country, with different segments and making it interesting day-by-day because of the quality of content, participants we invite and the authenticity of news and information. About my personal life, I am very friendly by nature, talkative and jolly with friends.

My enthusiasm and strengths are my research, the way I ask questions and the angles of my analytical approach. I have conducted a lot of interviews of different people, business community individuals, industrialists, dignitaries, economists and experts from different sectors who are very competitive. About my leisure time, I enjoy spending time with my family, friends: sometimes cooking, listening to music, watching films and dramas, reading, traveling, playing games etc.

PAGE: What is your take on the evolution of the consumer financing portfolio?

Natasha Haseeb: In my opinion, consumer finance serves as a source of financial stability and uplifts economic and social status. Continuous growth in the consumer finance portfolio of the banking sector in recent years has produced a debate, mostly critical of its alleged role in inducing consumption-led growth in the economy. The general perception is that consumer finance has created problems for less financially literate customers. It is necessary to explore some of these perceptions and data and evidence in perspective which will take so much time to explain but just cut and crop the detail while taking into account the high sensitivity of these loans to increasing interest rate dynamics. Notably, the household sector in Pakistan is under-leveraged by global standards, and emergent risks are well-managed by the banking sector.

PAGE: Which factors are responsible for the widespread popularity of consumer finance in Pakistan?

Natasha Haseeb: The popularity of consumer financing in Pakistan is spreading in a way, banks providing such access that leads to purchasing power to the middle-class consumer has been the most significant achievement of this product...