Business

Pakistan striving to rebound strongly from current economic challenges: SBP chief

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

SBP chief briefs investors, fund managers on current challenges, way forward.
Says challenges largely driven by “adverse global shocks, domestic developments”.
Inflation expected to ease in coming months; financing uncertainty to end after IMF deal.

State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad has said that the country was striving to rebound strongly from the current economic challenges, including external financing woes and record inflation.

He stressed that Pakistan’s economy had “always rebounded strongly after undergoing severe shocks”.

“No doubt, this time, we have faced not one but a series of domestic and global shocks. But we strive to rebound strongly from the current challenges as well.”

He made the remarks while addressing international investors and fund managers at an event organised by Barclays in Washington, United States on Pakistan’s economic challenges and the way forward.

A statement issued by the central bank said Ahmad briefed the attendees about the challenges Pakistan is facing, the policy responses and the way forward.

The SBP chief noted that the economic challenges, including high inflation and balance of payments pressures, were largely driven by “adverse global shocks and domestic developments”.

Even though global commodity prices had fallen from the peak reached in 2022, they were still “significantly high” and thus, were taking a toll on domestic inflation and the current account, he elaborated. The rupee has depreciated sharply over the last few months, which has increased the cost of living for consumers in the heavily import-dependent country.

At the same time, the SBP chief said, tightening global financial conditions have made it harder for emerging markets such as Pakistan to access international financial markets. Consequently, this put stress on the country’s foreign exchange reserves, which have fallen to critically low levels in recent months, and the exchange rate. The devastating floods of 2022, which caused damages of $30 billion, had worsened the country’s economic distress, he pointed out.

Ahmad also spoke about the country’s external balance of payments situation, noting that Pakistan had met all its obligations in a timely manner contrary to earlier market expectations.

“The country’s debt repayments have been rather front-loaded, whereas inflows have been gradual,” he explained.

He said the country was receiving fresh financing in addition to loan rollovers ahead of the expected revival of a loan programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Policy response

Elaborating on the central bank’s policy measures, the SBP chief said it had raised the benchmark interest rate by 1,400 points to 21% in the last 18 months and tightened regulations to rein in inflation and reduce the current account deficit.

In addition, the exchange rate had adjusted over the last few months, which he termed the “first line of defence against emerging external imbalances”.

The fiscal deficit had reduced due to the government’s contractionary fiscal policy, despite flood rehabilitation-related expenditure. The primary balance was also in surplus so far compared to a deficit last year, he noted.

“The country is on its way to achieving macroeconomic stability, as the impact of policy measures is already playing out in the economy. The current account deficit has narrowed and foreign exchange reserves, albeit low, are increasing,” he remarked.

Inflation was expected to decrease in the coming months while the revival of the IMF programme would remove uncertainties regarding external financing, Ahmad added.

Business

SFD and Pakistan Sign Two Deals Totaling $1.61BLN

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Two agreements totaling $1.61 billion have been inked by Pakistan and the Saudi Fund for Development to improve their bilateral economic cooperation.

Business

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign an MOU to strengthen their auditing industry collaboration.

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2 days ago

Farwa

A spokesperson for the office of the Auditor-General of Pakistan (AGP) announced on Monday that the two countries have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in public sector auditing through improved cooperation between audit institutions of both countries, as well as training programs and the exchange of trainers.

This comes as a group from Saudi Arabia’s General Court of Audit (GCA), headed by GCA President Dr. Hussam bin Abdulmohsen Alangari, arrived in Pakistan on Sunday for a four-day visit.

The agreement was signed during AGP Muhammad Ajmal Gondal’s meeting with the Saudi delegates, aiming to strengthen audit cooperation, enhance knowledge-sharing, and improve governance, transparency and accountability in government spending.

Public relations officer Muhammad Raza Irfan of the AGP’s office told Arab News that the deal will further advance bilateral collaboration between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in addition to enhancing professional ties between the two nations’ auditing institutions.

In a statement released from his office, AGP Gondal was cited as saying, “This collaboration marks a significant step toward fostering international cooperation in auditing.”

“The exchange of ideas and methodologies will undoubtedly strengthen our capacity to meet emerging challenges and set new benchmarks for public accountability.”

Discussions at Monday’s meeting focused on fostering closer ties between the Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, sharing innovative audit methodologies, and planning collaborative initiatives for the future, according to the AGP office.

The two parties decided to increase their knowledge of theme, environmental, and impact audits as well as to exchange best practices in audit standards, performance audits, and citizen participation audits.

The statement added, “It also agreed to exchange trainers, address new auditing challenges, plan cooperative audits, including a performance audit on the oil and gas sector in 2025, and work together on training programs.”

Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to promoting transparency, accountability and excellence in public sector auditing.

Business

The government chooses to continue the PIA privatization process.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) privatization process will be restarted by the federal government, and expressions of interest would be requested within the month. Officials stated that the Prime Minister’s Committee on Privatization will convene to make the final decision.

Usman Bajwa, the secretary of the Privatization Commission, gave a briefing on the updated procedure to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Privatization. Additionally, he disclosed that airlines other than PIA are now able to compete with regional carriers thanks to IMF-approved aircraft tax concessions.

Farooq Sattar, the chairman of the privatization committee, underlined the importance of giving PIA workers at least five years of job security. Employee protection will continue to be a top priority and will be resolved prior to bidding, the Privatization Commission promised.

PIA’s liabilities totaling Rs650 billion have already been assumed by the government, and an additional Rs45 billion in outstanding debts must be paid before the privatization process can begin. As of the now, PIA has assets around Rs155 billion and liabilities worth Rs200 billion. It will be necessary for the new buyer to expand the fleet by 15 to 20 aircraft.

Additionally, the Privatization Committee has sought a timeline for the privatization of Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Islamabad Electric Supply Companies. Officials stated that after the appointment of a financial advisor, the privatization process for these companies will accelerate.