SBP receives over $1bn first tranche of IMF loan

KARACHI: Pakistan, on Friday received over $1 billion inflows as the first tranche of a long-term loan from the IMF, aimed at bolstering its foreign exchange reserves.

The Executive Board of the IMF, on Wednesday, approved a 37-month Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for Pakistan worth SDR 5,320 million or 262 percent of quota (around US$7 billion). The IMF board also approved immediate disbursement of the first tranche worth SDR 760 million or about $1 billion for Pakistan.

Following the Executive Board’s approval, the IMF released the first tranche of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program on Friday to help Pakistan strengthen its foreign exchange reserves.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday confirmed that it has received the first tranche of SDR 760 million equivalent to USD 1.027 billion from the IMF. “These inflows will be reflected in SBP’s liquid reserves data to be released on next Thursday Oct 3, 2024,” the SBP said.

Building on the economic stability achieved under the 2023 Stand-by Arrangement (SBA), in July, IMF staff and the Pakistani authorities reached a staff-level agreement on a $7 billion EFF program subject to approval by the IMF’s Executive Board, which granted approval on Wednesday. Previously, Pakistan had completed a short-term Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) program of $3 billion with the IMF in April.

These inflows will help to build the country’s foreign exchange reserves, which currently stood at $ 14.873 billion including $ 9.534 billion of SBP and $5.34 billion held with commercial banks.

According to the IMF, the new program will require sound policies and reforms to support the authorities’ ongoing efforts to strengthen macroeconomic stability, address deep structural challenges, and create conditions for a stronger, more inclusive, and resilient growth. Continued strong financial support from Pakistan’s development and bilateral partners will also be critical for the program to achieve its objectives, it added.

Pakistan’s external account is gradually improving and with higher home remittances, Pakistan has successfully contained a current account deficit at $171 million in the first two months of this fiscal year (FY25). In addition, the SBP has cut the policy rate by a total of 450 bps since June.

Governor Jameel Ahmed SBP is confident that Pakistan will comfortably manage all external repayments during this fiscal year with lower current account deficit and improved foreign inflows.

For FY25, Pakistan’s external debt obligations amounted to $26.2 billion including $ 4 billion of interest, of which $12.3 billion will be rolled over. Additionally, around $4 billion in bilateral commercial loans will be repaid and refinanced, bringing the total rollover/refinanced amount to $16.3 billion.

The remaining $10 billion consists of $1.7 billion that has already been repaid, leaving $8.3 billion still payable for the rest of FY25. Despite the massive external debt servicing, the SBP’s foreign exchange reserves are in its comfort zone and expected to reach $ 13 billion mark by the end of FY25.