The Pak Banker
Aurangzeb hails IFC’s increased engagement in Pakistan
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb held a meeting with Simon Andrews, Divisional Director for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), who called on the Minister at the Finance...
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Mian Zahid stresses contingency framework amid IMF conditionalities
Mian Zahid Hussain, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum & All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Chairman National Business Group Pakistan and Chairman Policy Advisory Board FPCCI, has urged the authorities to implement a comprehensive...
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Pakistan’s public debt surges to Rs80.52 trillion
The government on Monday admitted before parliament that the country’s public debt increased, the debt-to-GDP ratio worsened, and per capita debt rose in 2024-25 despite fiscal consolidation and improved macroeconomic conditions. As a consequence, the...
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Forex reserves reach USD21.7 billion: Schehzad says
Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves increased to around USD 21.7 billion, reaching a four-year high and extending gains for 33 consecutive weeks, as the country continues to show macroeconomic stability along with improving key economic indicators,...
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Exports to Iran, Central Asian Republics exempted from LCs/bank guarantees
In a major policy decision, the government has exempted exports to Iran and Central Asian Republics via land routes from the requirement of bank guarantees and letters of credit, aiming to facilitate exporters and boost regional trade. The Ministry of...
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Finnance Mininister, French envoy discuss economic engagement
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb met with Ambassador of France to Pakistan Nicolas Galey and discussed ways to strengthen PakFrance economic engagement. Welcoming the ambassador, the minister underscored the...
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NBG’s Mian Zahid says concerned at escalating Iran war
Mian Zahid Hussain, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum & All Karachi Industrial Alliance and Chairman National Business Group Pakistan, Chairman Policy Advisory Board FPCCI, has expressed grave concern over the escalating...
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The illusion of dollar strength in a fracturing world order
The conventional narrative around the Iran war and global finance is by now familiar: the conflict is accelerating de-dollarisation, strengthening China’s petroyuan, and hastening the end of American financial dominance. That narrative is not wrong....
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Trade gap narrows to $9.04 billion in July-January
Pakistan’s trade deficit with the Middle East narrowed by nearly three per cent during the first eight months of 2025-26, as the ongoing conflict in the region begins to weigh on commercial activity and bilateral engagement. The full impact on...
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Pakistan among top economies at risk from Iran war: Ex-SBP Chief
Pakistan is one of the countries most vulnerable to negative economic spillovers from the Iran War, excentral bank chief Murtazaz Syed wrote on X. Murtaza said Pakistan is also one of the countries with the least policy space to cushion its economy...
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ME conflict may adversely affect remittances: study
The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) has warned that the Middle East (ME) conflict could result in declining workers’ remittances by USD3-4 billion annually in case the conflict continues, which could also trigger the return of...
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The yearly price fixing failure
With Ramazan close to ending this week, the relief of affordable commodities has remained a far cry for lower-income groups. This was primarily due to structural issues in market dynamics that the government perhaps never factored in. While market...
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In-hand cash inflows dropped by nearly 50pc due to air travel disruptions: Bostan
Pakistan’s in-hand cash inflows have dropped by nearly 50 percent due to air travel disruptions linked to ongoing Middle East conflicts, a shift that could temporarily boost formal banking remittances but could hurt overall inflows if the situation...
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Jul-Jan foreign assistance up 12.77pc to USD5.17b YoY
Foreign assistance to the country from July 2025 to January 2026 has reached USD 5.17 billion compared to the USD 4.58 billion of the corresponding period of last year, which reflects an increase of 12.77 percent. According to data released by the...
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Suha Lalani named among Inc. Female Founders 500
Pakistani entrepreneurs are gaining international recognition, as Suha Suleman Lalani, co-founder of PinkDetect, was named in Inc. Magazine’s Female Founders 500 list for 2026. At just 25, the Karachi-born has secured a place among 500 of the world’s...
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High interest rate to hit economy in war times, warn businesses
While already under strain from high power and gas tariffs and the negative impact of the US-Iran conflict on trade, businessmen have expressed further disappointment over the State Bank’s decision to keep the interest rate at 10.5 per cent, claiming...
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Govt urged to declare ‘energy emergency’
Atif Ikram Sheikh, President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), has strongly called upon the federal government to declare an immediate energy emergency; and, implement reliable contingency measures to insulate...
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Need for boosting strategic fuel reserves stressed
Mian Zahid Hussain, President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum & All Karachi Industrial Alliance and Chairman National Business Group Pakistan, Chairman Policy Advisory Board FPCCI, has urged the Ministry of Energy to immediately assess and...
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World Bank rates ASPIRE programme as satisfactory
The World Bank has rated Pakistan’s Actions to Strengthen Performance for Inclusive and Responsive Education (ASPIRE) Programme as satisfactory in both overall progress and achievement of development objectives, with USD 199.28 million fully disbursed,...
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LCCI President for urgent, decisive policy measures to stabilize economy
President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Faheem ur Rehman Saigol, has expressed deep concern over Pakistan’s rapidly widening trade deficit and mounting economic pressures, urging the government to adopt urgent and decisive policy...
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Pakistan to seek IMF relief on furnace oil carbon levy amid Gulf crisis
Pakistan may approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for relief on a carbon levy imposed on furnace oil, as the government scrambles to secure energy supplies amid escalating Gulf conflict. In an interview to media, Federal Minister for...
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Feb CPI inflation clocks in at 7pc YoY
The Consumer Price Index-based inflation clocked in at 7 percent on a Year-on-Year (YoY) basis in February 2026 as compared to an increase of 5.8 percent in the previous month and 1.5 percent in February 2025, says the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics...
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Banks provide Rs882.4b to 302,922 borrowers, NCC meeting told
The National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Development was informed that the banking sector has provided Rs.882.4 billion financing to 302,922 borrowers up to 31 December 2025. The NCC meeting on SME...
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Geopolitical risks cloud growth outlook
The government highlighted downside risks of geopolitical uncertainty and commodity price volatility to otherwise improving economic growth prospects in Pakistan. “Downside risks persist, particularly from geopolitical uncertainties and global...
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Pakistan’s GSP+ debate missing the point
The European Union’s engagement with the world has long been anchored in trade, though never as trade alone. Its agreements are designed not only to expand market access but also to shape how such engagement is conducted. At the core of EU trade...
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PAC raps NBP over failure to recover public funds
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of National Assembly expressed dismay over the management of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) for its lack of interest in recovering public funds involved in multiple financial irregularities. According to the...
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NBP’s profit up over 224pc, clocks in at Rs85.9b in 2025
The National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), one of the country’s largest commercial banks, registered a profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 85.88 billion in 2025, a whopping 224 per cent increase year-on-year. The bank registered a PAT of Rs26.5 billion in the same...
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Pakistan’s crypto chief attends World Liberty Forum at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago
Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman and Minister of State Bilal bin Saqib joined global finance leaders at an event hosted by World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture linked to US President Donald Trump’s family, Saqib’s...
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Better rates to spur remittance inflows: FPCCI VP
Vice President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) and Joint Secretary of the Businessmen Panel Progressive, Aman Paracha has suggested that if the government offers a higher exchange rate in Pakistani rupees against...
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Foreign capital remains missing
Pakistan’s net foreign direct investment (FDI) came in at $173 million in January 2026, down 27 percent year-on-year, as per SBP data. On a cumulative basis, net FDI stood at $981 million in 7MFY26, sharply lower than $1,661 million in 7MFY25,...
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Govt to fast-track privatisation, more SOEs to be handed to PC: Aurangzeb
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said that the government remains committed to accelerating the privatisation process, saying that more State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) will be gradually privatised. “It is the prime minister’s clear directive that...
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Robust demand fuels auto loans
Robust demand further pushed outstanding auto loans for the 14th consecutive month to Rs328 billion in January, up from Rs319bn in December 2025. The State Bank of Pakistan data revealed that consumers opted for more loans in January due to the change...
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Bank Alfalah Announces 2-for-1 share split
The Board of Directors of Bank Alfalah Limited (BAFL), in its meeting held on February 13, 2026, approved the Bank’s financial results for the year ended December 31, 2025. Bank Alfalah reported profit after tax (PAT) of PKR 28.34 billion for the year...
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UBL executes Rs20 billion Interest Rate Swap with Engro
United Bank Limited (UBL) has successfully executed a PKR 20 billion Interest Rate Swap (IRS) transaction with a subsidiary of Engro, one of Pakistan’s leading conglomerates. This landmark deal further strengthens UBL’s position at the forefront of...
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Aurangzeb to visit US as Pakistan reassesses trade strategy
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Saturday said he will travel to the United States next week to advance economic engagement, as Pakistan reassesses its trade positioning following recent agreements between New Delhi and Washington, with...
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Our ‘Groundhog Day’ policies
Pakistan’s economic failure is often described as a failure to liberalize, to export, or to industrialize properly. These explanations miss the deeper continuity. The problem is not that reform did not happen. The problem is that reform keeps...
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IMF programme: Country committed to achieving 1.6pc of GDP surplus: Aurangzeb
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Muhammad Aurangzeb has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to achieving a general government primary surplus of 1.6 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) under the International Monetary Fund (IMF)...
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FinMin Aurangzeb speaks at moot organised by KSA, IMF
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb participated in a highlevel roundtable on “Addressing Sovereign Debt Vulnerabilities” at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies 2026, jointly organised by the Government...
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‘Pakistan govt may approach IMF to reduce rate of taxes on businesses’
A leading businessman in the consortium that acquired 75 per cent stakes in the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) with management control, Arif Habib has said that the government is likely to approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to reduce...
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Smuggling cheap credit back into the system
The government’s decision to slash the Export Finance Scheme rate has been dressed up as harmless relief for exporters. In reality, it is a familiar policy sleight of hand. Cheap credit has once again been smuggled into the system under the guise of...
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Wafi Energy plans $100m investment in Pakistan: FinMin Aurangzeb
Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to sustaining macroeconomic stability, strengthening foreign exchange buffers, and improving investor confidence as Wafi Energy Pakistan Ltd indicated a potential...
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Banks brace for modest earnings drop
Pakistan’s banking sector is expected to post a marginal quarteron-quarter decline in profits of about 1 per cent for the fourth quarter of calendar year 2025 (4QCY25), mainly because of reduced returns on investment portfolios. Even so, overall net...
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Habib University dedicates Talaab-e-Hikmat to Meezan Bank
Habib University held a dedication ceremony for the Talaab-eHikmat, a collaborative learning space in The Horizon, in recognition of Meezan Bank’s support. The dedication reflects a shared commitment between two of Pakistan’s leading institutions in...
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KPK, World Bank hold consultation to fight smog
A consultative meeting on the Smog Action Plan and Air Quality Management for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was held via video link with the technical team of the World Bank. The KP delegation was led by Junaid Khan, Secretary Climate Change, Forest, Environment...
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FPCCI chief raises alarm over abrupt super tax recovery
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Saturday expressed concern over the abrupt recovery of super tax by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), warning that collecting around Rs300 billion in one go could lead to a severe...
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SBP buys $10.8 billion from domestic FX market in 17 months
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) purchased $10.76 billion from domestic foreign exchange (FX) markets between June 2024 and October 2025, as per the latest data released by the central bank. The central bank reports foreign exchange market...
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The hidden cost of home remittances
That 762,499 Pakistanis left the country for work in 2025, as revealed by the finance ministry’s Monthly Economic Update and Outlook for January 2026, is perhaps the most telling statistic in a largely grim economic snapshot. The report shows weak...
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Pakistani fintech Neem secures Pre-Series A funding from global investors
Epic Angels, the world’s largest all-female investment collective, has announced its participation in the PreSeries A funding round of Neem, a Pakistani fintech, in a move aimed at accelerating the growth of the country’s full-stack payments...
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Treasury bills attract $114m in 16 days
The new calendar year began with record foreign investment in domestic bonds, as inflows into treasury bills during the first 16 days of January crossed $114 million. Latest data released by the State Bank of Pakistan showed the country received a...
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Ports as economic engines
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and economic hub, has long faced chronic traffic congestion. Recently, these centres of economic activity were criticized for heavy truck movements from the terminals, claiming that they are a primary cause of the...
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Clueless on economy
Since the claims are tall and mass misery great, public hopes are high about delivery, which is crucial for the government, too, to help mask its dubious mandate. So, 2026 must be the year of growth. But herein lies the rub. This set of rulers has...
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DAVOS 26: Aurangzeb meets Visa Group president
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, met in Davos with Oliver Jenkyn, Group President of Visa, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. The meeting focused on strengthening collaboration in digital...
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Fitch affirms Pakistan’s debt ratings at ‘B-’
Fitch Ratings, one of the world’s top three agencies, on Wednesday affirmed Pakistan’s long-term debt ratings at ‘B-’ (B-negative), which it had upgraded in April last year, and assigned a Recovery Rating of ‘RR4’ following the removal of the ratings...
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HBL Zarai launches ‘Khushiyan Da Mela’
HBL Zarai Services Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of HBL, has launched a rural engagement initiative, “Khushiyan Da Mela” (Festival of Happiness), a first of its kind agriculture focused community festival designed for the farming heartland of...
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Struggle for self-reliance
Among structural reforms, a key issue is unsustainable imports that make it imperative to conserve and earn foreign exchange to minimise external vulnerabilities. That calls for maximising use of local human and natural resources to boost productivity,...
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Markets price in rate cuts
With economic recovery and declining interest rates, the yield curve is becoming smoother and upward sloping – from completely inverted in 2023 to flattened in 2024–25, and now turning upward sloping, as it ideally should be. Moreover, secondary market...
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WB-funded KP tourism project continues to make steady progress
The World Bank–financed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Integrated Tourism Development Project (KITE) continues to make steady progress, with overall implementation and achievement of development objectives rated “Moderately Satisfactory” in the latest...
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Sindh cabinet forms body to review plan to deregulate sugar sector
The Sindh cabinet has formed a ministerial committee to review the federal government’s plan with regard to full deregulation of the country’s sugar sector. The meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at the CM House, asked the...
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Pakistan to roll out first Panda bond in coming weeks, says Aurangzeb
Pakistan plans to issue its firstever Panda bond in the coming weeks, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said.Addressing a seminar organised by Nutshell Group, titled Resetting Pakistan’s Economic Direction, the minister said Pakistan’s previous...
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IMF projections for FY2025-26
The Staff Report of the IMF after the completion by the Executive Board of the second review of the IMF Programme contains a set of macroeconomic projections of Pakistan for 2025-26. The objective of this article is to highlight and analyse these...
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Govt appoints Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu as new SECP chairman
The government has appointed Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu as the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), according to a notification issued by the Finance Division. Dr Sidhu is currently serving as the chairman of the...
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Tough vetting for job seekers may hit remittances
Growth in remittances could face a decline or may not show any significant growth particularly from the Middle Eastern countries, said multiple sources. While securing visas for Arab countries is getting tough, local authorities have also adopted...
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UBL emerges as Pakistan’s largest-listed company
United Bank Limited (UBL) has emerged as the largest listed company in Pakistan, with its market capitalisation reaching Rs1.28 trillion (USD 4.6 billion) on Tuesday, overtaking Oil & Gas Development Company (OGDC), which now holds the second spot with...
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World Bank rates Sindh flood relief project progress as satisfactory
The World Bank has rated both the progress towards achieving the Project Development Objectives (PDO) and the Overall Implementation Progress (IP) of the Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project (SFERP) as satisfactory, citing strong execution and...
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Aurangzeb urges FBR to intensify enforcement, expand tax net
The federal government has called for a further tightening of tax enforcement and accelerated efforts to broaden the tax base, as Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb urged the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to intensify compliance measures and...
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SBP buys $9.7 billion from domestic FX market in 16 months
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) purchased $9.7 billion from domestic foreign exchange (FX) markets between June 2024 and September 2025, as per central bank data released recently. The central bank reports foreign exchange market interventions with a...
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SECP publishes Whitelist of Digital Lending Applications
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has published an updated Whitelist of Digital Lending Applications on its website. According to the details released by the SECP, the digital Nano loans are short-term loans with high-interest...
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The top performing assets in Pakistan in 2025
Gold and the stock market emerged as the top-performing asset classes in Pakistan during 2025. According to a report by Topline Securities, gold emerged as the year’s top performer, yielding a remarkable 73 per cent return between January 1 and...
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Jul-Nov food exports decline 38pc YoY: minister
Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain has expressed grave concern over Pakistan’s declining food exports, revealing that they dropped to $1.95 billion between July and November, down from USD3.15 billion during...
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Trade rules often favour wealthy states, MNCs: World Bank report
Global standards have increasingly been used as tools in trade disputes since the turn of the century, reshaping trade flows and often favouring wealthy countries and large multinational companies over developing economies, according to a WB...
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Government borrowing reverses course
The government’s borrowing from banks in the first half of FY26 has marked a sharp reversal from last year’s pattern, with Rs672 billion raised against net debt retirement during the same period of FY25. Latest data from the State Bank of Pakistan...
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‘Islamic banking should go beyond name’
State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Deputy Governor Saleemullah has said that Islamic banking must not remain limited to nomenclature but should be clearly reflected in practice. He said Islamic banking represents a transparent financial system, the...
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SBP, PBA and Finance Division launch new platform to digitise agri finance
The Finance Division, government of Pakistan, in collaboration with State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Pakistan Banks Association (PBA), has launched ‘Zarkheze’, a digital platform designed to revolutionise agricultural financing. The initiative...
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Dollar shortage continues as exchanges run dry
Despite authorities’ best efforts, there is a dire shortage of dollars in the open market, and many currency exchanges are “only selling what they buy”, causing consternation among those planning to travel abroad for the holidays, or in the new...
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Advisor to FinMin holds meeting with Middle East fintech investors
Khurram Schehzad, Advisor to the Finance Minister of Pakistan, held a high-level strategic meeting with a delegation of leading international fintech investors from the Middle East, highlighting Pakistan’s improving macroeconomic stability, reform...
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