KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) foreign exchange rose by $23 million to $15.850bn for the week ending April 30, announced the central bank on Thursday.

The SBP has been heavily buying dollars to bolster its reserves and meet external payments.

However, it looks difficult for the SBP to meet the $18bn target after the UAE sudden decision to withdraw its $3.5bn held in the SBP account, while $1.4bn was paid upon the ma­t­urity of the Eurobonds.

The country’s overall re­serves stood at $21.29bn, including $5.442bn held by commercial banks during the week ended April 30.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2026