Forex reserves rise to $20.836bln

KARACHI: Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves increased $402 million, or 1.96 percent, in the week ended March 26, the central bank said on Thursday.

The total liquid foreign exchange reserves held by the country stood at $20.836 billion, compared with $20.434 billion in the previous week.

“During the week ended March 26, 2021, the [State Bank of Pakistan] SBP) received $498.7 million from the IMF [International Monetary Fund] under EFF [Extended Fund Facility] program; after accounting for external debt repayments, the SBP reserves increased by $378 million to $13,673.0 million,” the central bank said in a statement.

The forex reserves held by commercial banks also rose to $7.163 billion from $7.139 billion.