Making Connections
Promoting Trade and Investment between Pakistan and the United Kingdom
About PUKBC
Formed under the ambit of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), the Pakistan-UK Business Council (PUKBC) is the official body for furthering B2B cooperation between Pakistan and the United Kingdom.
Founded in 1950, the FPCCI combines all chambers & associations of trade and industry in the country under the unified umbrella of an apex trade body of the country. PUKBC is one of the most important bilateral Business Councils, operating within the FPCCI.
PUKBC is working on improving business and investment relations between the two countries. The council identifies areas of co-operation, where both business communities benefit. PUKBC provides a forum for ready exchange of business friendly information on investment and trade opportunities both in UK and Pakistan. Members of PUKBC are facilitating joint ventures with a view towards suggesting ways for improving investments in both countries.
100+ Members of the PUKBC comprise of a wide spectrum of leading businesses in Manufacturing, Retail, Technology, Healthcare, Education, Travel & Tourism, Financial Services, Insurance, Commodities, etc.
Events
Pak-UK Business Council (FPCCI) is supporting Pakistan's IT companies coming to London under the auspices of Pakistan IT Industry Association (P@SHA) to participate in upcoming London Tech Week from June 12-16, 2023. The UK’s tech flagship event is bringing 20,000+ global government and corporate leaders, inspirational start-up founders, senior investors and tech rising stars together to showcasing how tech is transforming business and society.
PUKBC-FPCCI is conducting an awareness session on Education in the UK for its members and the community at large. This event is to be held in collaboration with GMCA- Greater Manchester Combined Authority and British Council. Participants will include The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Salford, The University of Northampton, Aspire Education, INTO and Unilink.
This webinar will be held in collaboration with PBBC and will provide an insight into the work of the Vegetarian Society, its trademark scheme that can help and enhance food manufacturing businesses within the plant-based sector. Furthermore, BRCGS will deliver a presentation which will highlight key quality and safety standards and speak about available options for food safety certification and how it can help to remove barriers to trade and the support and guidance it can provide to the food manufacturing industry.
ASPIRE Pakistan & Pak Angels in collaboration with Pakistan-UK Business Council is organizing an introductory session for the members of PUKBC FPCCI which will be followed by a showcase of 20 early-stage Startups. The purpose of this event is to build awareness about opportunities related to the startup ecosystem especially the role of overseas Pakistanis.
PUKBC-FPCCI is organizing an awareness session in collaboration with TDAP for Pakistani Businesses. This hybrid session will help Pakistani Businesses, Women Entrepreneurs, SMEs and Start-ups across the country to sell their products and services online, with emphasis towards the UK consumers. In partnership with LADIESFUND.
Pak-UK Business Council has scheduled a member engagement session for businesses with participation of Mr. Shafiq Shahzad - Trade and Investment Minister at Pakistan High Commission - London and Mr. Muhammad Akhtar Trade & Investment Secretary - Consulate General of Pakistan in Manchester. Businesses from across Pakistan will attend the Hybrid event to explore areas of opportunities with UK (including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta, Peshawar and Charsadda Chambers).
The Pakistan-UK Business Council of FPCCI Trade Delegation will be visiting the United Kingdom from 5th to 11th November 2022. Delegation consists of businesses from the Information Technology, Food, BPO, Commodities and Logistics sectors will be visiting London, Manchester and Scotland to explore new avenues of Trade and Investment. The planned activities include fruitful sessions with Scottish Chambers with B2B meetings, interactive sessions with Greater Manchester Chamber (GMCC) businesses and various potential trade and business corporations of UK located in London, Manchester and Scotland.
Pakistan-UK Business Council (FPCCI), in collaboration with High Commission of Pakistan in London and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), presents a Webinar on "Pakistan-UK Trade Opportunities and New GSP Scheme" on Wednesday 26th October at 2:00 pm (PST). Objectives: - To establish linkages between Chambers and Trade Missions - To create awareness about the trade opportunities between Pakistan and the United Kingdom especially after Brexit - To create awareness about UK's new GSP Scheme 2023 (Zoom meeting details are given in the enclosed flyer)
PUKBC and PBBC in collaboration with Halal Expo London and Event and conference International – ECI invites you to a webinar, Halal Expo London is the UK's First International G2G, B2B & Consumer Halal Trade Show, taking place at the world-famous ExCeL London on 2nd & 3rd December 2022. Halal Expo London offers the opportunity to expand your target demographic to a £1.8 trillion globally diverse and untapped halal market with unlimited business potential. Webinar link will be provided to all interested participants.
Join us for this session as Hyve's Sourcing Director, Suzanne Ellingham, talks about retail in 2022 and into 2023 and beyond in the UK in relation to the upcoming Autumn Fair in Birmingham from 4-7 September 2022. Register for the Webinar here: https://www.bigmarker.com/hyve/Why-the-UK-Retail-trends-and-opportunities-in-2023
Pakistan UK Business Council-FPCCI will be conducting an online Awareness Session for Food Sector businesses of PUKBC and FPCCI to discuss related opportunities. Guest Speakers will share their Success Stories and provide input on how Pakistani businesses can enhance their outreach to the UK. For registration and to obtain Zoom link, please send an email to director.jbc(at)fpcci.org.pk
Awareness Session for Businesses (especially Exporters) to promote Digital Buying and Selling of Pakistani Commodities Internationally - Conducted by Pakistan Mercantile Exchange (PMEX) and Global Commodity Trading Platform (GCTP)
PBBC in partnership with Bett and Learnit, supported by PUKBC-FPCCI, is conducting a virtual session on business opportunities in the UK for Pakistani companies in Education and Technology sector. The session will cover presentation on Bett Exhibition which will be held from 29-31 March 2023 at ExCel London. For registration and to obtain Zoom link for the virtual session, please send an email to director.jbc(at)fpcci.org.pk
Ministry of IT and Telecom (Government of Pakistan), Pakistan Software Board (PSEB) and Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) will be leading the Trade Delegation, with facilitation by PUKBC-FPCCI. The UK’s tech flagship event will be held on 13-17 June bringing 20,000+ global government and corporate leaders, inspirational start-up founders, senior investors and tech rising stars together to discuss the power of technology for societies.
HAPPENINGS
Introductory Session on Angel Investing & Showcase of 20 Startups
PUKBC-FPCCI hosted an awareness session held in collaboration with ASPIRE Pakistan and Pak Angels. The event focused on boosting the Startups and Angel Investing ecosystem under the guidance of the Pakistanis who have been successful in the dynamic technology sector abroad. The awareness session was followed by a curated showcase of 20 local tech startups for the participants. This first-of-its-kind initiative at Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry aimed to promote interest in new ideas, ventures, products and services driven by technology and innovation. The event included participation of various stakeholders including Pakistan Stock Exchange - PSX, which has a new GEM Board for public listing of emerging businesses. LADIESFUND® and various financial institutions actively participated along with potential investors from the wider business community and the Pakistani diaspora.
Read MoreAwareness Session on ‘Online Selling to UK Buyers’
PUKBC-FPCCI in collaboration with TDAP and LADIESFUND® held a successful awareness session on ‘Online Selling to UK Buyers’. The session was opened by SVP, FPCCI Mr. Suleman Chawla and Secretary, TDAP Mr. Fareed Iqbal Qureshi. President, Ladiesfund T U Dawood also graced the occasion. PUKBC Chair Imran Khalil Naseer led the event with support of PUKBC Directors and the FPCCI team. The hybrid session was well attended by a diverse group of participants including women entrepreneurs, business owners and professionals. Highly informative presentations were made by Adil Mukhtar Chaudhry, Asst. Director, TDAP and Mr. Muhammad Akhtar, Trade & Investment Attaché, Consulate General of Pakistan in Manchester, followed by Q&A. Click below to watch the session recording.
Read MoreTrade Opportunities Session conducted by Trade Mission of Pakistan in UK
Mr. Shafiq Shahzad - Trade and Investment Minister at Pakistan High Commission - London and Mr. Muhammad Akhtar Trade & Investment Secretary - Consulate General of Pakistan in Manchester. The state of bilateral trade between Pakistan and UK were briefed in detail with the support of trade data of both goods and services. The gaps and opportunities were discussed at length and an insightful understanding was developed on the way forward. Businesses from across Pakistan attended the Hybrid event to explore areas of opportunities with UK (including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta, Peshawar and Charsadda Chambers).
Read MorePUKBC engages with TDAP to enhance collaboration
Pak-UK Business Council engages with TDAP (Trade Development Authority of Pakistan) meets Chief Executive - TDAP Muhammad Zubair Motiwala and Secretary Dr Fareed Iqbal Qureshi. Both sides agreed to enhance collaboration to promote cooperation and business development opportunities working with UK businesses and stakeholders.
Read MoreFPCCI sees massive potential of increase in trade with UK
The Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) sees lucrative potential to increase bilateral trade with the UK by 20-30% on annual basis. UK is one of the few countries with which Pakistan enjoys a trade surplus. In 2022, the trade balance was in favour of Pakistan by £1.1 billion or $1.33 billion. FPCCI Irfan Iqbal President said on Monday that “UK is one of the most significant export markets for Pakistani products with substantial and maintainable export numbers and rare trade surplus.” “There is massive potential to increase exports to UK,” he said. His optimism emanated from the fact that Pakistan posted a handsome 38.6% increase in exports to the UK from Q4 2021 to Q3 2022, according to the factsheet recently released by UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT). (BUSINESS RECORDER)
Read MorePBBC Delegation from UK hosted by PUKBC-FPCCI
Pakistan-UK Business Council hosted an incoming delegation from UK led by Pakistan-Britain Business Council at FPCCI Head Office, Federation House on 9th February 2023. A meeting was held to discuss opportunities followed by a B2B networking for members from both bodies.
Read MorePUKBC has enabled exporters to access Scottish market: FPCCI
Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, President Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), has said that FPCCI’s Pakistan-UK Business Council (PUKBC) has made it possible for Pakistani exporters to access 15,000 Scottish businesses through a landmark trade promotion & facilitation agreement with Scottish Chambers of Commerce. He was speaking at the annual meeting of PUKBC. Irfan Iqbal Sheikh apprised, grounded in research, that the true potential of Pak-UK trade in the near-term of less than three years lies around £6 billion; from the current volume of £3.5 billion; whereas, the export potential is £4 billion from the current £2.1 billion. He apprised that FY22 has seen a growth of 28.3 percent in Pakistan’s bilateral trade with the UK. The annual meet was attended by the who’s who of the business community active in Pak-UK business, commercial, financial, trade, JVs, investments and economic cooperation. This year various services sectors expressed their interest in enormous potential to export services to the UK. Imran Khalil, Chairman PUKBC, welcomed businesses to the annual gathering and encouraged them to leverage the partnerships established by PUKBC to increase trade and working partnerships with their UK counterparts. He added that the agreement with the Scottish Chamber will provide access to over 50% of Scottish registered businesses and around 30 regional chambers of commerce of Scotland like Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, etc. This will also enable both sides to access each other’s expertise, products and brands, he added. (BUSINESS RECORDER)
Read MoreNetworking Meeting at Consulate of Pakistan in Glasgow
A productive networking meeting involving the PUKBC delegation and the Overseas Pakistanis community in Scotland was organized by the Consulate of Pakistan in Glasgow hosted by H.E. Syed Zahid Raza, Consul General.
Read MorePakistan-UK Trade & Cooperation Event in Leeds with PM's Trade Envoy to Pakistan
A business delegation of FPCCI's Pakistan UK Business Council led by VP Mr. Shaukat Omerson & Dr. Shehzad Amin attend the Pakistan-UK Trade Opportunities & Cooperation event in Leeds with Mark Eastwood MP, Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Pakistan, Steve Garcia, International Trade Advisor (DIT), James Mason, CEO West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, Michael Treacy, CEO Mabey Bridge, David Hughes, Chief Commercial Officer Transfermate. Suleman Chawla SVP FPCCI and Imran Khalil Chair PUKBC also shared their remarks via Zoom. The event was organized and hosted by Pakistan-Britain Business Council and was followed by a networking lunch with businesses from Yorkshire and Humber.
Read MoreIntroductory Meeting with BRI Association in Manchester
A delegation of FPCCI's Pakistan UK Business Council met with The Belt and Road Association (U.K.) along with Trade and Investment Secretary, Consulate of Pakistan in Manchester Mr. Muhammad Akhtar. Introductory meeting was held between the two business chambers followed by B2B meet-ups conducted at BRI offices.
Read MoreVisit to West London Chambers of Commerce
PUKBC delegates visited West London Chambers of Commerce and interacted with its leadership and stakeholders. An MoU was signed between FPCCI and West London Chambers to solidify a collaboration between both entities on behalf of their members. Dr. Shehzad Amin, Director, represented PUKBC while FPCCI was represented by Mr. Shaukat Omerson, Vice President of FPCCI.
Read MoreMeeting with Hyve Group in London
At an interaction in London, the delegates discussed with Hyve Group the potential that Pakistan’s IT industry had to offer to businesses in the UK. With an export growth rate of 47% YOY, Pakistan had both low cost and good quality to offer. Hyve Group expressed a serious interest in enabling Pakistan’s IT businesses to showcase their products and services at annual BETT events in the UK.
Read MorePUKBC-FPCCI signs deal with Scottish Chambers of Commerce
“The signing of this strategic understanding with Scottish Chambers will open new avenues of collaboration for businesses on both sides. It will strengthen Pakistan’s business relations with Scotland to promote trade and possibilities of joint ventures (JVs). This MOU will connect Pakistan’s apex chamber of commerce and industry with Scotland’s most influential business to business network.” - Imran Khalil Naseer, Chairman Pakistan-UK Business Council
Read MorePUKBC-FPCCI hosts IT Delegation from UK
In order to enhance Bilateral Trade between Pakistan & UK and to promote Technology and Innovation Sector in Pakistan, PUKBC-FPCCI hosted an incoming UK Trade Delegation comprising of Mr. Stephen Tweed (International Director, British Computer Society - The Chartered Institute of IT), Mr. Asad Ansari (MD AccrediNation UK), Ms. Atifa Shah (IT Transformation Director, Public Sector, Government and Public Affairs) and Mr. Ilyas Mansha (MD Cyber Security, Accenture UK). Various IT firms, P@SHA and relevant stakeholders in Pakistan were invited to interact with the visiting delegates. FPCCI Vice Presidents Mr. Shabbir Mansha Churra, Haji Muhammad Yaqoob & Mr. Shoukat Ali Omerson and Chair PUKBC-FPCCI Mr. Imran Khalil assured their full support to the delegation from the UK.
Read MoreRecap of PUKBC Activities in 2021
PUKBC is actively working on exploring possibilities of improving business and investment relations between the two countries through various activities. The council regularly identifies areas of co-operation, where both business communities benefit.
Read MoreUK – Pakistan’s underexplored market
In 2021, Pak-UK Business Council of the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) made efforts to bring the business communities of both countries closer by arranging webinars and conferences in a bid to boost bilateral trade. As reported by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), merchandise exports to UK jumped 25% during fiscal year 2020-21 to $2.047 billion from $1.638 billion in fiscal year 2019-20. Although this shows significant growth on a year-on-year basis however the rise was witnessed due to low base effect induced by Covid-19 because earnings in fiscal year 2018-19 clocked in at $1.758 billion.
Read MorePaklaunch Webinar - Enhancing Trade Opportunities Between UK and Pakistan
In the online session, the activities of PUKBC-FPCCI in 2021 & also the opportunities it offers for collaborations were discussed. How PUKBC can serve as the initial point of contact for businesses and professionals by access to its member network across the country? How Paklaunch.com members can provide sector-specific assistance in skill development, capacity building, and enabling investments?
Read MorePUKBC-FPCCI holds training session for using Amazon platform
FPCCI president Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo welcomed the gathering of e-commerce trainers and practitioners at the Federation House to educate and train the businessmen and entrepreneurs on getting started and profitably selling globally through Amazon’s platform. Ather Sultan Chawla, vice-president of the FPCCI, said that the apex trade body is committed to help the businesses tap new markets and new avenues to grow and diversify through the use of digital platforms and Amazon is the best platform to sell globally. (Video recording - 16 min mark onwards): https://bit.ly/3KefjiD
Read MoreBusiness, investment opportunities in Pakistan: Pak-UK Business Council, GMCC organise webinar
Pak-UK Business Council of FPCCI organized a webinar (which is the first collaborative event of its kind) with Greater Manchester Chambers of Commerce (GMCC) to provide information on business and investment opportunities in Pakistan — as well as how to connect with partners and potential customers. The webinar focused on diversification of exports between the two countries to further enhance and strengthen economic ties.
Read MoreAwareness Webinar conducted by Pak-UK Business Council of FPCCI on Roshan Digital Accounts in collaboration with Pakistan High Commission UK
Pak-UK Business Council of FPCCI (Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry) organized an awareness session on Roshan Digital Accounts (RDA) for overseas Pakistanis in United Kingdom. The session was held in collaboration with Pakistan High Commission in United Kingdom, Central Depository Company of Pakistan Ltd (CDC), State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) and Habib Bank Limited (HBL).
Read MoreFPCCI signs partnership agreement with Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce
The Pak-UK Business Council of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) had signed a partnership agreement with Greater Manchester Chambers of Commerce, which has over 5,000 registered British businesses based in the Greater Manchester region of UK.
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RESOURCES
A View on UK Retail - Suzanne Ellingham (Hyve Group)
Why the UK? Retail trends and opportunities in 2023 An insightful presentation on Retail in 2022 and into 2023 and beyond in the UK, in relation to the upcoming Autumn Fair (Spring & Autumn Fair) in Birmingham from 4-7 September 2022 and the future. Webinar held in collaboration with PUKBC in Mid July 2022.
List of Trade Fairs in the UK in 2022-2023
PUKBC Board of Directors for the Year 2023
PUKBC-FPCCI Members Directory
The document is password-protected. Please contact us for access.
GOV.UK Pakistan Trade and Investment Factsheet (28-03-2023)
This GOV.UK factsheet provides the latest statistics on trade and investment between the UK and Pakistan covering data upto end of Q3 2022. Total trade in goods and services (exports plus imports) between the UK and Pakistan was £4.1 billion, in current prices, in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2022, an increase of 39.3% or £1.1 billion from the four quarters to the end of Q3 2021. Date of release: 28 March 2023
GOV.UK Overall Trade and Investment Statistics Book (20-06-2022)
Latest Comprehensive Trade and Investment Statistics published by GOV.UK Last Updated: 20 June 2022
Pakistan-UK Trade Figures 2020 (Goods) - FPCCI
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- Federation House, Shahrah-e-Firdousi, Block 5 Clifton, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan