KARACHI: Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves held by the central bank increased by $19 million to $16.4 billion during the week ending April 3, the State Bank of Pakistan said on Thursday
The country’s total liquid foreign reserves rose by $105 million to $21.895 billion. The reserves of commercial banks also increased by $87 million to $5.495 billion.Forex reserves have increased due to the improved current account balance supported by robust remittances and the central bank’s ongoing dollar purchases in the interbank market.
Remittances to Pakistan increased 16.5 per cent month-on-month to $3.8 billion in March. However, money sent home by Pakistani workers employed abroad fell by 5.5 per cent year-on-year (YoY). Remittances rose 8.2 per cent to $30.3 billion in the nine months of fiscal year 2026.
The SBP said on Wednesday that it successfully repaid $1.43 billion of Pakistan’s international bond on April 7. This amount includes a principal of $1.3 billion, with the remainder being interest. The payment was made to the agent bank for distribution to bondholders on the maturity date of April 8.
