Pakistan’s total liquid foreign exchange reserves showed a modest week-on-week improvement and rose by USD 180 million during the last week, mainly driven by an increase in the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) holdings. According to official data released by the SBP on Thursday, the country’s total liquid foreign reserves stood at USD 21.192 billion on January 2, 2026 compared with USD 21.012 bil
Smaller Pakistani banks posted some of the best total returns to investors across the Asia-Pacific region in 2025, buoyed by a strong rally in local equity markets and improving macroeconomic indicators, according to an analysis by S&P Global Market Intelligence. The S&P Global Market Intelligence in its report mentioned that the Bank of Punjab emerged as one of the top-performing banks in the
Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb on Thursday held a meeting with Visa delegation led by Tareq Muhmood, Regional President for Central Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) and discussed advancing digital payments, financial inclusion, and ongoing economic reforms. The minister welcomed the delegation and appreciated Visa’s continued engagement with Pakistan’s financi
Companies found it harder to do business in 2025 due to a deterioration in global cooperation on issues including trade, climate, technology and security, a survey published by the World Economic Forum showed on Thursday. Released ahead of the WEF’s next annual gathering in Davos later this month, the online poll of 799 executives in 81 economies using a McKinsey global survey panel showed 43 p
Oil prices rose for a second day on Friday, set for their third weekly gain, on uncertainty about the future of supply from Venezuela and as Iranian unrest increases concerns about output there. Brent futures rose 44 cents, or 0.71%, to $62.43 per barrel at 0203 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 39 cents, or 0.68%, to $58.15. Both benchmark prices climbed more than 3