State Bank of Pakistan reserves jump to 4-month high on IMF inflow
Foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) increased by $1.04 billion on a weekly basis, clocking in at $11.45 billion as of May 16, data released on Thursday showed.
Total liquid foreign reserves held by the country stood at $16.65 billion. Net foreign reserves held by commercial banks stood at $5.20 billion.
The central bank attributed the recent loan tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to the increase in the FX reserves.
'During the week ended on 16-May-2025, SBP reserves increased by US$ 1,043 million to US$ 11,446.5 million as SBP received 2nd tranche of SDR 760 million (US$ 1,023 million) from the IMF under EFF program on May 13, 2025,' it said.
Last week, SBP foreign exchange reserves increased by $71mn to $10.40 billion.
On May 14, the central bank confirmed that it had received the second tranche of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) 760 million, equivalent to $1.02 billion, from the IMF.
The development had come days after IMF Executive Board completed the first review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) arrangement, allowing the Pakistani authorities to draw the equivalent of about $1 billion.
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