Business

Rupee rally continues unabated over improved dollar supply

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

Rupee settles at 262.82 against dollar in interbank market.
Adequate supply of dollar improves investors’ sentiment.
Local unit closes day at 268 in open market.

Amid optimism regarding the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme in the coming days and an improved supply of the greenback in the markets, the Pakistan rupee continued to register gains for the fourth consecutive session.

The local unit closed the day at 262.82 against the US dollar after gaining Rs1.56, or 0.59%, in the interbank market compared to Thursday’s close of 264.38. Meanwhile, the rupee value remained unchanged at 268 in the open market.

Currency dealers attribute this recovery to an improved supply of greenback as exporters are selling their dollar holdings to take advantage of better rates while an increase in remittance inflows is also observed.

The government has undertaken the necessary steps to secure the stalled IMF programme. It has depreciated the currency, increased the cost of gas and electricity, and ultimately unveiled a mini-budget, imposing new taxation measures in an effort to raise an additional Rs170 billion during the ongoing fiscal year 2022-23.

The government appears to be prepared for a staff-level agreement with the IMF since all known prerequisites for the Washington-based lender have been met.

The centre is trying to get the IMF on board in the next day or two as depleting reserves and upcoming repayments on external fronts have pushed the government into the corner. Inflows from the IMF will unlock flows from friendly countries and other multilateral institutions.

Moreover, foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) also rose over $200 million during the week ended February 10 after a hiatus of three weeks.

Business

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

Published

2 days 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

2 days 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

2 days 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.