News

Outstanding ADB transactions in Pakistan amount to $242m

The total outstanding balances and undisbursed commitments of the non-sovereign transactions of Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Pakistan amounts to $242.48 million by the end of 2022. The latest fact sheet on Pakistan released by ADB showed total commitments in non-sovereign loans, equity investments and guarantees from ADB’s own funds in 2022 amounted to $1.1 billion for 37 transactions in eco

LNG replaces oil as costliest source of power

The government has formally acknowledged that imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) has become the most expensive fuel for power generation in the country, even surpassing furnace oil for whose replacement the multibillion-dollar LNG infrastructure was set up in the first place almost a decade ago. In a major decision setting the reference power-purchase tariff for each month of the current fisc

Stocks end in red despite dollar inflows

Acting upon the old adage of “buy on rumours, sell on news,” investors on Thursday offloaded their positions following a long bull run ending with the receipt of $1.2 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Topline Securities said the IMF news helped the benchmark index make an intraday high of 456 points before closing in the red territory. Data from National Clearing Company sh

Dar says IMF has transferred $1.2bn to SBP’s account

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had transferred $1.2 billion to the central bank’s account. He made the remarks while addressing the media a day after the global money lender approved a $3 billion loan agreement for Pakistan, unlocking crucial funding for the troubled economy. The board approved the bailout package for the country for an

Lack of funds key barrier to SME growth

Identi­fying barriers to competition, a study by the Competition Commission of Pakistan has found that no access to financing is the key barrier limiting the growth of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The study titled ‘Enhancing Economic Efficiency of SMEs in Pakistan’ has noted that despite policy measures to increase financing to 17 per cent, the SME sector only receives 6-7pc of private