ISLAMABAD: The government called on the public on Thursday to step up fuel-conservation efforts, warning that supplies of petroleum products could come under pressure in the coming days as instability in the Middle East intensifies.
Economy
Pakistan digital payments hit record 92 percent of retail transactions as cashless shift accelerates
KARACHI: Pakistan accelerated its shift toward a cashless economy in the second quarter of fiscal 2026, with digital channels accounting for 92% of all retail transactions, up from 88% a year earlier, the State Bank of Pakistan said.
Pakistan oil importers face FX bottleneck as global prices double on Iran conflict
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s oil marketing companies are running into foreign-exchange bottlenecks as soaring international crude and product prices, coupled with higher insurance, import premiums and freight costs triggered by the US-Israel conflict with Iran and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, more than double the financing required for cargoes.
ADB to provide Pakistan $10 billion over five years in push for private-sector growth
ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank plans to extend about $10 billion in financing to Pakistan over the next five years under a new country partnership strategy that puts private-sector development at the center of efforts to secure sustainable and inclusive growth.
Pakistani tanker navigates Iranian coastline in rare Hormuz transit with Tehran approval signals
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani-flagged tanker has transited the Strait of Hormuz by hugging the Iranian coastline, the latest sign that safe passage through the vital oil chokepoint may now depend on approval from Tehran amid the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
Pakistan extends Roshan Digital Accounts to foreign investors to attract capital
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to expand the Roshan Digital Account framework to foreign nationals as well as foreign companies and institutional investors, allowing them to open accounts and invest in government securities and Naya Pakistan Certificates, the Finance Division said on Monday.
Pakistan LNG supplies set to run dry after April 14 as Qatar shipments halt amid Middle East conflict
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will exhaust its liquefied natural gas stocks after April 14, with imports from Qatar fully suspended since early March because of shipping disruptions tied to escalating tensions in the Middle East, officials told a Senate committee on Monday.
Pakistan’s Intelligence Bureau to police austerity drive amid Hormuz supply fears
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered the Intelligence Bureau to police the government’s new national austerity plan, tasking the spy agency with auditing fuel-conservation measures across federal and provincial institutions as global oil markets reel from escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Pakistan posts $427 million current-account surplus in February as remittances lift external balance
KARACHI: Pakistan recorded a $427 million current-account surplus in February, its largest monthly positive balance since March 2025, as strong remittance inflows, gains in value-added exports and disciplined import growth helped narrow the external shortfall.
Pakistan fuel supplies secured through mid-April as Middle East conflict drives price surge
ISLAMABAD: The government said on Monday that the country has secured its March fuel requirements and has supply coverage extending into mid-April, easing concerns over potential shortages triggered by conflict in the Middle East.