ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund began talks on Monday for the second review of a $7 billion Extended Fund Facility programme and the first review of a $1.1 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility, with discussions focusing on mixed fiscal performance, revenue shortfalls and the impact of recent floods.
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PIA mulls direct Dhaka flights after high-level contacts with Bangladesh
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is considering resuming direct flights to Bangladesh’s capital as ties between the two South Asian nations show signs of improvement, the state-owned airline announced on Sunday, marking a potential step toward bolstering economic and people-to-people connections strained for decades.
Pakistan targets Rs6.4 trillion in borrowing to manage Rs81.5 trillion debt load
ISLAMABAD: The government unveiled a Rs6.4 trillion borrowing plan for the current fiscal year to service a public debt that ballooned to Rs81.5 trillion by June 30, as an International Monetary Fund mission assesses the nation’s fiscal and monetary performance.
IMF review begins with focus on missed targets, relief spending
KARACHI: An International Monetary Fund review mission kicked off simultaneous talks in Karachi and Islamabad on Thursday, delving into Pakistan’s uneven performance under its bailout program without the standard kickoff meeting with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, who’s currently in the US.
PM Sharif urges IMF to weigh flood toll in program review
KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the International Monetary Fund to consider the economic toll of recent floods in its program review during talks with the lender’s chief on Wednesday, as the country pushes reforms to sustain a fragile economic recovery.
Pakistan’s poverty edges up to 25.3 percent in reversal of long-running decline – World Bank
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s poverty rate climbed to 25.3% in the fiscal year through June 2024, reversing nearly two decades of steady declines, as economic shocks and policy missteps eroded earlier gains, according to a World Bank report.
Pakistan to meet all IMF targets ahead of key review, brokerage says
KARACHI: Pakistan is poised to satisfy all seven quantitative performance criteria set by the International Monetary Fund before the second semi-annual review of its $7 billion Extended Fund Facility program, according to a report from brokerage Topline Securities.
Foreign investor profit repatriation surges to $592.7 million in July-August
KARACHI: Foreign investors repatriated $592.7 million in profits and dividends in the first two months of Pakistan’s current fiscal year, more than doubling the $274.7 million recorded in the same period last year, central bank data revealed on Friday, reflecting improved corporate profitability and easing restrictions on capital outflows.
Current account deficit widens to $245 million in August
KARACHI: The current account deficit widened to $245 million in August 2025, up from a revised $379 million shortfall in July and a $82 million deficit a year earlier, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data showed on Thursday, signaling challenges in sustaining the external account stability that delivered a rare annual surplus last fiscal year.
Inflation set to surge to 6.5 percent in September on flood-hit food prices
KARACHI: The headline inflation is poised for a sharp rebound to 6.5% year-on-year in September after edging up to 3% in August, driven by flood-related spikes in food prices, brokerage Topline Securities said in a report on Wednesday.