The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange reserves have fallen by $540 million, or 4.84 percent to $10.61 billion during the week ending March 21, 2025.
According to data released by the central bank, the country’s overall reserves also declined, dropping by $464.8 million, or 2.9 per cent, to stand at $15.55 billion. However, reserves held by commercial banks saw an increase of $75.2 million, up by 1.54 per cent, reaching $4.94 billion.
For the current fiscal year, SBP reserves have shown growth, increasing by $1.22 billion, or 12.96 per cent. However, when looking at the calendar year, there has been a decline of $1.1 billion, or 9.42 per cent.
On the other hand, the Pakistani rupee (PKR) appreciated by 0.08 percent against the US dollar in the interbank market on Friday. As of 12 pm, the rupee was trading at Rs280, reflecting a gain of 22 paisa against the greenback.
On Thursday, the rupee had closed at Rs280.22, marking a 0.02 per cent increase from its previous close of Rs280.26. Throughout that session, the rupee touched an intraday high (bid) of Rs280.30 and a low (ask) of Rs280.20. In the open market, the dollar was quoted at Rs279.50 for buying and Rs282.10 for selling.
So far in the current fiscal year, the PKR has depreciated by Rs1.88, or 0.67 per cent, against the USD. Since the beginning of the calendar year 2025, the rupee has weakened by Rs1.67, or 0.60 percent
