Second $1bn deposit received from Saudi Arabia: State Bank

Published December 14, 2018
Prime Minister Imran Khan meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. ─ APP/File
Prime Minister Imran Khan meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. ─ APP/File

A State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) official on Friday confirmed that a second $1 billion bailout package from Saudi Arabia had been received by Pakistan.

SBP Spokesman Abid Qamar, confirming the development, said that the latest package had shored up the central bank's foreign reserves.

The SBP spokesman added that another Saudi financial package was expected to arrive in January 2019.

Riyadh had in October agreed to provide Pakistan $3bn in foreign currency support for a year to address its balance-of-payments crisis. Additionally, the Kingdom had also agreed to provide Islamabad a one-year deferred payment facility for import of oil, worth up to another $3bn.

The country had seen some relief after the first tranche of $1bn from Saudi Arabia was received on Nov 9 but the amount had recently run out.

According to figures shared by Prime Minister Imran Khan in October, the country's total foreign debt had surged to Rs30,000bn within the last decade, while circular debt had reached Rs1,200bn.

Follow Dawn Business on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

Opinion

Editorial

Plugging the gap
06 May, 2024

Plugging the gap

IN Pakistan, bias begins at birth for the girl child as discriminatory norms, orthodox attitudes and poverty impede...
Terrains of dread
Updated 06 May, 2024

Terrains of dread

Restored faith in the police is unachievable without political commitment and interprovincial support.
Appointment rules
Updated 06 May, 2024

Appointment rules

If the judiciary had the power to self-regulate, it ought to have exercised it instead of involving the legislature.
Hasty transition
Updated 05 May, 2024

Hasty transition

Ostensibly, the aim is to exert greater control over social media and to gain more power to crack down on activists, dissidents and journalists.
One small step…
05 May, 2024

One small step…

THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar...
Not out of the woods
05 May, 2024

Not out of the woods

PAKISTAN’S economic vitals might be showing some signs of improvement, but the country is not yet out of danger....