KARACHI: Pakistan rupee posted marginal gain for another week as it appreciated by Re0.09 or 0.03 percent against the US dollar in the inter-bank market.
The local unit closed at 279.47, against 279.56 it had closed the week earlier against the greenback, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
The central bank purchased $11.38 billion from domestic foreign exchange (FX) markets between June 2024 and November 2025. The SBP reports foreign exchange market interventions with a lag of three months.
The foreign exchange reserves held by the SBP increased to USD16.21 billion during the week ended February 20, 2026.
The country’s total liquid foreign reserves stood at USD21.41 billion. Of these, net foreign reserves held by commercial banks amounted to USD5.2 billion.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance said the inflation reading was likely to remain within the range of 6 percent to 7 percent in the outgoing month of February 2026 - slightly higher than the reading recorded at 5.8 percent in January 2026.
The government expects the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to be in the range of 5-7 percent for the full fiscal year 2025-26.
Open-market rates
In the open market, the PKR gained 1 paisa for buying and 10 paise for selling against USD, closing at 280.03 and 280.52, respectively.
Against Euro, the PKR lost 1.41 rupee for buying and 1.20 rupee for selling, closing at 330.36 and 333.10, respectively.
Against UAE Dirham, the PKR lost 1 paisa for buying and gained 3 paise for selling, closing at 76.46 and 77.16, respectively.
Against Saudi Riyal, the PKR lost 3 paise for buying and 1 paisa for selling, closing at 74.78 and 75.35, respectively.
=========================================
THE RUPEE
=========================================
Weekly inter-bank market rates for dollar
=========================================
Bid Close Rs. 279.47
Offer Close Rs. 279.67
Bid Open Rs. 279.56
Offer Open Rs. 279.76
=========================================
Weekly open-market rates for dollar
=========================================
Bid Close Rs. 280.03
Offer Close Rs. 280.52
Bid Open Rs. 280.04
Offer Open Rs. 280.62
=========================================
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026