Pakistan’s total liquid foreign exchange reserves climbed to $21.09 billion as of December 12, 2025, following a sharp weekly increase driven by fresh inflows from the International Monetary Fund.
Data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) showed that reserves held by the central bank rose by $1.3 billion during the week to $15.89 billion. The increase was primarily due to the receipt of SDR 914 million, equivalent to about $1.2 billion, under the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).
Net foreign reserves held by commercial banks stood at $5.20 billion, taking the country’s overall liquid reserves to $21.09 billion.
Based on the weekly change, SBP reserves were around $14.59 billion a week earlier, while total liquid reserves were close to $19.79 billion before the IMF inflow. The latest data therefore reflects one of the strongest weekly increases in reserves in recent months.
The rise in reserves improves Pakistan’s short-term external position by strengthening the central bank’s ability to manage foreign payments and meet external obligations. Higher reserves also provide support to the rupee, help reduce rollover risks on external debt, and improve confidence among investors and lenders.
However, officials and analysts note that the sustainability of the reserves position will depend on continued programme inflows, export performance, remittances, and containment of the current account deficit in the coming months.
