Pakistan’s trade deficit with nine neighbouring countries expanded by 29.42 per cent in FY25, rising to $12.297 billion compared to $9.502bn in the preceding year. Exports registered notable growth to Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka, largely attributed to recent shifts in the regional political landscape. However, trade relations with these countries have remained strained in recent year
Pakistan’s foreign debt inflows surged to $12.4 billion in FY25, largely due to a last-minute $3.4bn commercial borrowing from foreign banks to meet an International Monetary Fund (IMF) benchmark, according to the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) report released on Tuesday. The EAD data showed that almost 43pc of the total foreign assistance —amounting to $5.25bn — was disbursed in June alone, c
The Senate Standing Committee on Privatisation on Tuesday raised concerns over the government’s plans to privatise two state-owned entities — the Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC) and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd (ZTBL) — and questioned the rationale behind their inclusion in the programme. Chairman of the Privatisation Commission, Muhammad Ali, clarified that PMDC is not currently on
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has announced that it will begin publishing a Monetary Policy Report (MPR) on a biannual basis to provide a clearer assessment of the impact of its policy decisions. The central bank has also released the advance schedule of Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meetings for FY26 as part of efforts to enhance transparency and predictability. “In line with SBP’s Str
The outflow of profits and dividends on foreign investment remained tightly controlled in FY25, totalling $2.219 billion — only slightly higher than the $2.15bn recorded in FY24, despite notable improvements in Pakistan’s external account and broader economic indicators. According to data released by the State Bank on Monday, the restrained profit repatriation came as a surprise to many in the