Business

Rupee depreciates against dollar for fifth straight session

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

Rupee closes at 224.40 against dollar.
Local unit loses 0.01% against greenback.
It comes after forex reserves fell to four-year-low.

The Pakistani rupee Friday registered losses against the US dollar for the fifth straight session in the interbank market as the central bank-held foreign exchange reserves fell over 10% week-on-week.

The local unit closed at 224.40 against the greenback after losing 0.01% compared to Thursday’s close of 224.37, data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) showed.

The development comes after foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) plunged to an alarming level after falling 10.45% to a four-year low.

The foreign currency reserves held by the SBP were recorded at $6,714.9 million as of December 2, down $784 million compared with $7,825.7 on November 25, data released by the central bank showed.

The reserve crisis has raised fears that the country might not be able to meet its foreign debt payments, however, SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad believes that Pakistan can repay its debts.

In the latest episode of the SBP podcast series, Ahmad reiterated that all debt repayments were on track and that country’s foreign exchange reserves were expected to increase in the second half of the current fiscal year.

Commenting on the severity of the dollar crunch, the Ministry of Finance’s former adviser Dr Khaqan Hassan Najeeb, said that it was important to consider that Pakistan had only received $4 billion in the last five months (July-November 2022) — this was beside the rollover.

“The slow inflow of funds, heavy payments — including Sukuk payment — and a less than satisfactory financial account have all added pressure on the reserves which now barely cover a month and 10 days of import payment,” he stated.

But that’s not it as the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) programme is also stalled after Pakistan did not meet the all requirements for the ninth review.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has constantly assured that the country will successfully complete the IMF programme. The country is in desperate need of external financing as the IMF’s review for the disbursement of its next tranche of funding has been delayed since September.

Business

There are US$13,280.5 million in foreign exchange reserves in Pakistan.

Published

11 hours ago

Farwa

According to a representative for the central bank, as of April 19, 2024, the nation’s total liquid foreign reserves were valued at US$ 13,280.5 million. A loss of US$74 million left the State Bank of Pakistan’s foreign reserves at US$7,981.2 million.

Commercial banks have $5,299.3 million in reserves for Pakistan.

In the week that concluded on April 12, the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange reserves increased by $14.4 million to $8.055 billion.

“In a weekly statement, SBP stated that it has repaid US$ 1 billion in principal and interest on Pakistan’s International Bond, which matures this week.”

But at $13.374 billion, the nation’s total reserves decreased by $68 million. In the same way, commercial banks’ reserves dropped to $5.319 billion, a reduction of $82 million.

Business

NIMA seminar to increase Pakistan’s ship recycling industry’s capacity

Published

11 hours ago

Farwa

According to a release, important players from a range of maritime industries attended the conference to discuss issues facing the shipping sector.

It further stated that the symposium cleared the path for the resurgence of a sustainable future in ship recycling.

Participants in the conference included representatives of the Gadani Ship Breaking Labour Union, PSBA, KS&EW, KPT, PMSA, GEMS, and the federal and Balochistani governments.

Furthermore, global perspectives and ideas were offered by international specialists such as Rabia Razzaque from UN-ILO and Professor Raphael Baumler from the World Maritime University.

The seminar emphasized Pakistan’s capacity to emerge as a pioneer in the field of environmentally friendly ship recycling.

In order to protect the environment and the safety of employees, the participants emphasized the importance of following international standards and regulations.

During his speech, Chief Guest Senator Nisar Ahmed Khoro emphasized the importance of the maritime industry’s resurgence and the crucial necessity for coordinated efforts from all parties involved.

A new age of economic prosperity, worker safety, and environmental responsibility for Pakistan’s maritime industry was called for as he urged the stakeholders to work together on a comprehensive SENSREC program.

Vice Admiral Ahmed Saeed (Retd), the president of NIMA, emphasized the significance of environmental stewardship and safety in ship recycling procedures.

Business

Inflows into the Roshan Digital Account surged to $7.660 billion on March 24.

Published

11 hours ago

Farwa

According to the data, remittance inflows for the month of March totaled US$ 182 million, whereas they were US$ 141 million in February and US$ 142 million in January 2024.

Millions of Non-Resident Pakistanis (NRPs), including those who own Non-Resident Pakistan Origin Cards (POCs), can now engage in banking, payment, and investing activities in Pakistan with the help of these accounts, which offer cutting-edge banking solutions.

According to a statement from the State Bank of Pakistan, the number of accounts registered under the program increased by 11,091 from 668,701 accounts in February 2024 to 679,792 accounts in March 2024.

As of March 2024, the central bank reported that foreign nationals of Pakistan have invested US $312 million in Naya Pakistan Certificates, US $528 million in Naya Pakistan Islamic Certificates, and US $31 million in Roshan Equity Investment.

It is important to note that former prime minister Imran Khan introduced the Roshan Digital Account initiative in September 2020 with the goal of giving Pakistanis living abroad access to digital banking services for the first time.