KARACHI: Workers’ remittances fell over 6 percent during the first quarter (July-Sept) of this fiscal year due to weakened inflows from major corridors.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Tuesday reported that, cumulatively, Pakistan received home remittance inflows amounting to $7.685 billion during July-Sept of FY23 compared to $8.198 billion during the same period of FY22, depicting a decrease of $513 million.
The government of Pakistan and the SBP has taken a number of proactive policy measures to encourage more inflows through formal channels and the country is receiving over $2 billion monthly inflows of home remittances since June 2020. Although the country is still receiving an average of over $2 billion monthly inflows, these inflows are less than previous months.
Analysts said that remittances had decreased from formal channels due to the large spread between the interbank and open market rate, which reached Rs 10-12. As the gap now has reduced, the remittances from formal channels have now increased, they added.
Month-on-month basis, in terms of growth remittances decreased by 10.5 percent to $2.437 billion during September 2022 compared to $2.724 billion in August 2022. Year on Year basis, home remittances during September 2022 also declined by 12.3 percent compared to September 2021, in which the country received remittances inflows amounted to $2.78 billion.
Remittance inflows during Jul-Sep of FY23 were mainly sourced from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA).
Aug remittances post 8pc growth MoM
In terms of growth, home remittances from Saudi Arabia declined by 10 percent, however, Saudi Arabia is the major contributor in overall remittances received during this fiscal year. Overseas Pakistanis remitted some $1.89 billion from Saudi Arabia during the first quarter of this fiscal year as against $2.095 billion in corresponding period of last fiscal year.
During the period under review, inflows of home remittances from UAE plunged by 8.7 percent to $1.462 billion. Workers’ remittances from the UK also decreased by 4.2 percent to $1.09 billion. Overseas Pakistan from the USA remitted $816 million, up by 7.1 percent during July-Sep of FY23.
Remittances inflow during September 2022 were mainly sourced from Saudi Arabia amounted to $616.6 million, UAE $474.3 million, UK $307.8 million and USA $268.1 million.
The government is making efforts to increase the home remittances inflows to build the sliding foreign exchange reserves and reduce the pressure on external accounts.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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