KARACHI: Rupee depreciated further against the US dollar as it lost Re0.24 or 0.09% in the inter-bank market.
The local unit closed at 280.21, against 279. 97 it had closed the week earlier against the greenback, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
In a key development, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Pakistani authorities made “significant progress” towards reaching a Staff Level Agreement (SLA) on the first review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), said IMF mission chief Nathan Porter in a statement.
IMF team, led by Nathan Porter, visited Islamabad and Karachi from February 24 to March 14, 2025, to hold discussions on the first review of Pakistan’s economic programme supported by the EFF and on a possible new arrangement under the IMF’s Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). Following completion of the discussions, the IMF staff will now finalise its recommendations for the Executive Board’s review for the release of the $1 billion tranche.
Meanwhile, not in line with expectations, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the SBP maintained the policy rate stable at 12%, saying core inflation was proving to be more persistent at an elevated level and thus uptick in the food and energy prices might lead to increase in inflation in the country.
Moreover, the inflow of overseas workers’ remittances into Pakistan stood at $3.1 billion in February 2025, 3.8% up than $3 billion in January 2025, SBP data showed. Remittances increased by 38.6% year over year, compared to $2.25 billion recorded in the same month last year.
Foreign exchange reserves held by the SBP decreased by $152 million on a weekly basis, clocking in at $11.10 billion as of March 7. Total liquid foreign reserves held by the country stood at $15.93 billion. Net foreign reserves held by commercial banks stood at $4.83 billion.
Open-market rates
In the open market, the PKR lost 60 paise for buying and 39 paise for selling against USD, closing at 279.85 and 281.86, respectively.
Against Euro, the PKR lost 1.48 rupee for buying and 1.40 rupee for selling, closing at 303.08 and 306.06, respectively. Against UAE Dirham, the PKR lost 6 paise for buying and 5 paise for selling, closing at 76.17 and 76.75, respectively.
Against Saudi Riyal, the PKR lost 26 paise for buying and 22 paise for selling, closing at 74.66 and 75.22, respectively.
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THE RUPEE
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Weekly inter-bank market rates for dollar
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Bid Close Rs. 280.21
Offer Close Rs. 280.41
Bid Open Rs. 279.97
Offer Open Rs. 280.17
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Weekly open-market rates for dollar
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Bid Close Rs. 279.85
Offer Close Rs. 281.86
Bid Open Rs. 279.25
Offer Open Rs. 281.47
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Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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