KARACHI: Pakistan’s total liquid foreign exchange reserves rose sharply to USD 22.5885 billion during the week ended May 15, 2026, supported by inflows from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and proceeds from Panda Bonds.
According to the latest weekly report issued by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), its own foreign exchange reserves increased by USD 1.214 billion during the week to reach USD 17.081 billion, compared with USD15.8674 billion a week earlier.
The increase in SBP’s reserves was mainly driven by the receipt of funds amounted to USD 1.3 billion from the IMF under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), along with proceeds of worth USD 750 million from the issuance of Panda Bonds.
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However, the state bank noted that some external debt repayments were also made during the period and after accommodating these debt servicing SBP’s reserves rose by some USD 1.214 billion.
Meanwhile, net foreign reserves held by commercial banks also posted a modest increase, rising to USD 5.5075 billion from USD 5.4693 billion in the previous week.
As a result, the country’s total liquid foreign reserves climbed by USD 1.25 billion to USD 22.5885 billion by the end of last week, up from USD 21.3367 billion recorded a week earlier.
The latest increase in reserves is expected to strengthen Pakistan’s external position and improve market confidence amid ongoing efforts to stabilize the economy and meet external financing requirements.
Governor SBP, Jameel Ahmed has already projected that SBP’s reserves would reach by USD 18 billion mark end of June 2026.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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