Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) opened high-level policy talks in Islamabad on Monday to discuss the upcoming federal budget for fiscal year 2025-26, officials said. The current round of discussions, which will continue till May 23, will help determine whether Pakistan’s proposed budget meets the fiscal and reform targets agreed with the IMF under the Extended Fund Facilit
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) recorded a historic rally during the week ending May 17, 2025, as the KSE-100 Index gained 12,474 points to settle at 119,649, reflecting an 11.64 per cent increase week-on-week. This marked one of the biggest weekly advances in the index’s history, driven primarily by a US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and India on May 10. The easing of geop
Bank advances sharply declined by Rs1.589 trillion during the January to April period of the current fiscal year, despite a notable reduction in interest rates, while bank investments in government securities have surged significantly over the same period. According to the latest data from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), total advances dropped from Rs14.727tr in January to Rs13.138tr by April
THE planned import policy reforms to recalibrate tariffs in line with Pakistan’s industrialisation and export aims signify a major positive shift in the government’s economic and growth strategy. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved a roadmap to drastically slash average customs tariffs from 19pc to 9.5pc in the next five years, besides eliminating decades-old distortive tariff protection
Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on Sunday that IT exports, including earnings from freelancers and IT companies, reached over $3.5 billion during July-April, with IT services alone accounting for $3.14bn. She said the country is moving “steadily towards the vision of a Digital Pakistan, where technology supports the economy and ensures inclusiv