Pakistan repaid US$ 2 billion loan over past two years
Jameel Ahmed, Governor of the State
Bank of Pakistan (SBP), announced that Pakistan has successfully repaid a US$ 2
billion loan over the past two years.
In a recent television interview,
the SBP Governor highlighted the improvement in the country’s foreign exchange
reserves, alongside the positive shift in the current account balance, which
posted a surplus of US$ 700 million for the month of November.
Ahmed further explained that the
central bank has been actively purchasing dollars from the interbank market. He
also projected that remittances from overseas Pakistanis would exceed US$ 35
billion by the end of the current financial year.
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The Governor’s remarks followed the
SBP’s decision to reduce the policy rate by 200 basis points, lowering it to 13
percent, effective December 17, 2024. This was announced after the latest
monetary policy meeting.
In the statement, the SBP also noted
that inflation had dropped to 4.9% on a year-over-year basis in November 2024,
in line with expectations. The decrease was largely attributed to the continued
fall in food inflation and the fading impact of gas tariff hikes from November
2023. However, the SBP acknowledged that core inflation remains elevated at
9.7%, and inflation expectations among consumers and businesses remain
volatile.
Source: ARY News