The State Bank of Pakistan announced on Friday that it has received a $1 billion tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as part of a new programme.
This comes as the government secures additional financing assurances from China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, exceeding the previously agreed rollover of $12 billion in bilateral loans.
In its statement, the central bank noted that after the IMF Board approved a 37-month Extended Fund Facility worth $7 billion, the bank received its first tranche of special drawing rights (SDRs) totalling 760 million today.
These inflows will be reflected in the SBP’s liquid reserves, which are set to be released on October 3. SDRs, created by the IMF in 1969, serve as international reserve assets allocated to member countries to enhance their existing official reserves.
Pakistan has received “significant financing assurances” from China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates linked to a new International Monetary Fund program that go beyond a deal to roll over $12 billion in bilateral loans owed to them by Islamabad, an IMF official said on Thursday.
IMF Pakistan Mission Chief Nathan Porter declined to provide details of additional financing amounts committed by the three countries but said they would come on top of the debt rollover.
“I won’t go into the specifics, but UAE, China and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia all provided significant financing assurances joined up in this program,” Porter told reporters on a conference call.
The IMF’s Executive Board on Wednesday approved a new $7 billion, 37-month loan agreement for Pakistan that requires “sound policies and reforms” to strengthen macroeconomic stability. The approval releases an immediate $1 billion disbursement to Islamabad.
The crisis-wracked South Asian country has had 22 previous IMF bailout programs since 1958.
Porter said Pakistan has staged a “really remarkable” economic turnaround since mid-2023, with inflation down dramatically, stable exchange rates and foreign reserves that have more than doubled.
“So what we’ve seen is the benefits of undertaking good policies,” Porter said, adding that the challenge now was to build stronger and sustained growth by keeping monetary, fiscal and exchange rate policy consistent, raising more taxes and improving public spending.
Also, read this
IMF disburses first tranche of $1b in Pakistan’s bailout package
Pakistan secured $57.27 billion in external loans over last five years
IMF loan at high 5.09% interest rate discussed in Senate panel meeting
Last year, Pakistan achieved its first primary budget surplus in 20 years, and the program calls for growing that to 2% of gross domestic product. Porter said it depends in part on reforms to improve collections from under-taxed sectors such as retailers.
The next review of the loan would likely take place in March or April of 2025, based on end-2024 performance criteria, Porter said.
