Remittances from Pakistani workers totalled US$3.0 billion in January 2025, representing a 25.2% increase from the previous year.

The cumulative remittances for July through January of FY25 were 20.8 billion dollars, up 31.7 percent from 15.8 billion dollars during the same period in FY24.

In January 2025, the United States of America contributed 298.5 million dollars, the United Kingdom contributed 443.6 million dollars, the United Arab Emirates contributed 621.7 million dollars, and Saudi Arabia contributed 728.3 million dollars.

In January 2025, Pakistan had a notable 25% growth in domestic remittances, with inflows hitting a record $3 billion for the month.

In a post on X, Khurram Shahzad, advisor to the Federal Finance Minister, revealed the most recent data, showing a sharp increase in remittances. The overall amount of remittance inflows from July 2024 to January 2025 was $20.8 billion, which is a 32% increase from the previous year.

According to official documents, the federal government’s non-tax revenue increased by Rs1,623 billion during the first half of the current fiscal year, from July to December, to Rs3,602 billion, up from Rs1,979 billion during the same period last fiscal year. The petroleum levy accounted for a significant portion of the increase, collecting an additional Rs76.64 billion, bringing the total petroleum levy revenue to Rs549 billion, up from Rs472.77 billion during the same period last year. Shahzad described the increase in remittances as a positive development for Pakistan’s economy and external accounts, and he projected that if this trend continues, annual remittances could surpass $35 billion by the end of the fiscal year.

Significant non-tax revenue was also generated by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), which reported a profit of Rs2,500 billion from July to December, a substantial increase from Rs972 billion during the same period the previous year.

In an effort to help consumers, the government is attempting to lower electricity costs nationwide.

A task team has started negotiating with 45 more power facilities to reduce electricity rates, according to Ministry of Energy sources.

According to the plan, the profit margin of about 25 state-owned power plants will be cut from 19% to 13%, which will result in an electricity tariff drop of 50 paisa per unit. Moreover, rather than total production capacity, these power plants will now get compensation based on actual electricity generation.

It is anticipated that these actions will result in a Rs2 per unit drop in the overall electricity bill. The task force’s suggestions will probably be brought up for approval in the upcoming cabinet meeting.