logo
Pakistan secures $1 billion financing facility with ADB-backed guarantee

Pakistan secures $1 billion financing facility with ADB-backed guarantee

Pakistan's Ministry of Finance has signed a syndicated term finance facility of $1 billion partially guaranteed by a Policy Based Guarantee of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Programme 'Improved Resource Mobilisation & Utilisation Reform', according to a statement from Finance Division on Wednesday.
Dubai Islamic Bank acted as the Sole Islamic Global Coordinator while Standard Chartered Bank acted as the Mandated Lead Arranger and Bookrunners.
Other financiers include Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank as the Mandated Lead Arranger and Sharjah Islamic Bank, Ajman Bank and HBL as Arrangers.
ADB approves $800m financing for Pakistan
'The facility is a landmark transaction for the Government of Pakistan that demonstrates strong support from leading financiers in the region,' the Finance Division said.
As per details, this is a 5-year multi-tranche facility including both Islamic and conventional tranches. The Islamic facility was structured to be fully compliant with the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) standards, and accounts for 89% of the total financing amount. The remaining 11% is from conventional financing.
The transaction is also the first facility supported by ADB's Policy-Based Guarantee linked to policy reform measures undertaken by an ADB Member Country., i.e Pakistan.
'The ADB Programme is designed to support Pakistan to build long-term fiscal resilience and stability and has supported Pakistan's re-entry into international commercial markets, with significant interest from Middle Eastern Banks.'
ADB to scale up food security support to $40bn by 2030
Pakistan government has entered into the Middle Eastern financial market after nearly two and a half years, 'success of which indicates the renewed trust of the market in the fiscal stability and the overall improvement in the macroeconomic indicators of Pakistan', the Finance Division said.
'This transaction also marks the beginning of new partnership of Government of Pakistan with Middle Eastern banks.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Operations of HEC and attached varsities: AGP flags Rs5.29bn malfeasance
Operations of HEC and attached varsities: AGP flags Rs5.29bn malfeasance

Business Recorder

time6 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

Operations of HEC and attached varsities: AGP flags Rs5.29bn malfeasance

ISLAMABAD: The Auditor General of Pakistan has flagged financial irregularities amounting to Rs5.29 billion in the operations of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and its affiliated universities during the fiscal year 2023–24. According to the Audit Report 2024–25, the largest observation pertains to the retention of Rs4.852 billion by the HEC in its own income account instead of depositing it into the federal government's Treasury Single Account (TSA). This action constitutes a violation of Section 37(1) of the Public Finance Management Act, 2019, which mandates that revenues collected by autonomous public sector bodies under statutory powers must be routed through the TSA. Despite a formal notification from the Finance Division in January 2023 explicitly placing HEC under the TSA regime, the Commission continued managing and utilising these funds independently. Urban regions: Literacy rate elevated to 74.1pc The collections during FY 2023–24 included Rs1.13 billion from attestation and equivalence fees, Rs2.43 billion from Pakistan Education and Research Network (PERN) recoveries, Rs343 million from the Digital Library project, Rs409 million from the Education Testing Council, and Rs163 million from interest income. Audit authorities rejected HEC's justification that these funds were needed to supplement grant-in-aid allocations, asserting that compliance with the law cannot be waived based on internal financial needs. The Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) instructed HEC to obtain formal clarification from the Finance Division regarding TSA compliance and share all related correspondence with auditors. Beyond the TSA issue, the audit revealed unauthorised disbursements totaling Rs359.617 million made to public sector universities under various development projects, without approval from the Planning Commission or its Development Working Party (DDWP). For instance, COMSATS University Islamabad received an excess of Rs58.7 million under its 'Strengthening of Academics and Research Activities' project, while Hazara University was disbursed Rs29.5 million beyond its approved allocation. Other universities also benefited from unapproved excess disbursements under HEC's Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), all without revised PC-I approvals. The audit concluded that this practice violated established Planning Commission guidelines, undermined fiscal discipline, and raised serious concerns about fund utilization and oversight. The report also uncovered procurement-related violations, with HEC spending Rs35.076 million on IT equipment under the 'Smart Universities' project without adhering to open competitive bidding procedures mandated by Rule 12(2) of the Public Procurement Rules, 2004. Laptops, servers, and other equipment were acquired using direct contracting or limited tendering, despite crossing the financial threshold that requires national advertisement. Critical documentation, such as bid evaluations, comparative statements, and advertisement records, was missing, raising concerns about non-transparency and possible favoritism in procurement processes. In a separate finding, HEC failed to recover Rs7.569 million in liquidated damages from a contractor who delayed the construction of the National Academy of Higher Education (NAHE). Although the contract included a penalty clause of one per cent per day for delays, the Commission neither imposed penalties nor issued formal notices, resulting in a direct loss to the public exchequer due to weak contract enforcement and poor project monitoring. The auditors also pointed out unauthorised foreign travel expenditures amounting to Rs4.055 million, incurred without seeking mandatory approvals from the competent authority. These expenses, related to overseas visits by HEC officials, violated internal rules governing foreign deputations. Similarly, HEC was found to have spent Rs36.878 million on office renovations and refurbishments under the NAHE and 'Strengthening of HEC' projects without preparing or securing approval for a PC-I document, as required by development project regulations. Collectively, these audit findings reveal serious violations of financial, procurement, and legal protocols by HEC and its associated institutions, calling into question the governance and oversight mechanisms within Pakistan's higher education sector. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025

PM Shehbaz receives Saudi Crown Prince's invitation for Riyadh FII Forum
PM Shehbaz receives Saudi Crown Prince's invitation for Riyadh FII Forum

Express Tribune

time18 hours ago

  • Express Tribune

PM Shehbaz receives Saudi Crown Prince's invitation for Riyadh FII Forum

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chairs a review meeting on Hajj arrangements for the upcoming year in Islamabad on Saturday, June 21, 2025. Photo courtesy: Radio Pakistan Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Ahmed Al-Malki called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister's House on Saturday and presented him with an invitation from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to attend the 9th Future Investment Initiative (FII) Forum in Riyadh from October 27, 2025, to October 30. The Prime Minister accepted the invitation and expressed gratitude to the Crown Prince, extending good wishes to King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Crown Prince. The meeting also covered recent regional developments. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, along with advisers Tariq Fatemi and Dr Tauqir Shah, attended the meeting. Read: PM praises Saudi hospitality, extends Eid greetings to Crown Prince MBS Earlier, PM Shehbaz met Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz in Makkah during a two-day official visit. The meeting saw a constructive exchange of views on strengthening bilateral cooperation across political, economic, and security domains. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif {@CMShehbaz} attended a luncheon hosted in his honour by Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in Makkah.#PMShehbazInKSA — Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) June 6, 2025 According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office, the meeting reaffirmed strategic and fraternal ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, with both leaders highlighting the importance of continuing their strong partnership.

Public resources programme: World Bank likely to approve $600mn
Public resources programme: World Bank likely to approve $600mn

Business Recorder

time2 days ago

  • Business Recorder

Public resources programme: World Bank likely to approve $600mn

ISLAMABAD: The World Bank is likely to approve $600 million for 'Pakistan Public Resources for Inclusive Development Multiphase Programmatic Approach: Phase 1 – Federal' with the objective of increasing the level and quality of spending on inclusive development. Official documents reveal that the federal government programme is estimated at $ 1,624 million over 5 years and aligned to fiscal and primary balance targets agreed under the International Monetary Fund's Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the government's Medium Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF). Of this, the World Bank's contribution to the programme will be $600 million. The baseline for the expenditure framework is the enacted budget for fiscal year 25, following the government budget classification and the preliminary program expenditure framework constitutes selected budget heads of implementing agencies that are central to the results area and Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs) of the programme. This allows tracking of budget formulation, execution, reporting and accounting cycle in line with the functional and economic classifications. PRR project: World Bank approves additional $70m credit Activities not covered under existing budget heads but necessary for programme results will be funded through a separate head, and include expenditures like technical consulting services, institutional assessments, and operational expenditures such as salaries, training, supervision, and monitoring. Documents further noted that the Multiphase Programmatic Approach (MPA) is directly aligned with the government's ongoing fiscal reform agenda, anchored within the intergovernmental National Fiscal Pact. Pakistan's persistently large fiscal deficit has been a key driver of macroeconomic instability and recurrent boom-bust cycles, suppressing long-term economic growth and productivity enhancing investments. The MPA aims to support the ongoing fiscal reform agenda at the federal and provincial level by expanding the tax base, optimizing public expenditure through transparent and accountable fiscal governance, and efficient utilization of public resources in education and health, and by strengthening the data eco-system for effective tracking of social and economic outcomes. Through its focus on structural fiscal issues underpinning macroeconomic growth and stability, the MPA supports the government's 5-year National Economic Transformation Plan (Uraan Pakistan). Under Phase one of the MPA, the proposed operation will support federal fiscal reforms under the National Fiscal Pact. Under Results Area 1, establishment of a new tax policy unit within the Finance Division will set the foundation for a thorough review of tax policy and development of a medium-term rolling tax policy framework, supporting reductions in tax expenditures, improved tax policy predictability, an increased number of compliant taxpayers, and increased overall revenues. Under Results Area 2, efficiency of public expenditures and alignment of spending with policy priorities will be enhanced through a review of the government administrative structures, pension and subsidy review and reform processes, improvements to budget documentation to improve transparency, and roll-out of digital payment and financial management systems. Under Results Area 3, the availability of data to inform fiscal policies and service delivery interventions will be improved through establishment of a national statistical hub, development and implementation of new Quality Assurance and Data Governance frameworks, and new systems for the integration of administrative data support reflected in improved scores on international benchmark scorecards. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store