Significant Improvement in Economic Indicators as Pakistan’s Foreign Exchange Reserves Reach Historic High of $21.5 Billion; Exports, Remittances, and Foreign Investment Register Impressive Growth
ISLAMABAD: In the meantime, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves have reached an all-time high of $ 21.5 billion in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, as the overall performance of the country’s key macroeconomic indicators has improved in a cross-sectoral manner, the Ministry of Finance has revealed in its official performance report.
In a major economic performance update for FY2026 for July to September 2026, the Ministry of Finance revealed a significant improvement in overall economic stability, export volume and investor confidence.
Here are some of the highlights of the Ministry of Finance Q1 Economic Performance Report.The following are some of the highlights of the Ministry of Finance Q1 Economic Performance Report.
Record Foreign Exchange Reserves: Liquid foreign exchange reserves surged by a whopping 52 per cent to a new high of $21.5 billion.
Exports and Remittances Surge: Total exports hit $11.2 billion, up 8 percent from a year earlier, of which merchandise exports increased by 8 percent to $8.5 billion and service exports jumped 23 percent to $2.7 billion. Meanwhile, remittances received from overseas workers surged by 14 percent to $10.9 billion and Roshan Digital Accounts received over $14.3 billion.
The IT industry grew by 18 percent to record $1.25 billion in exports, and earnings by independent freelancers rose an astounding 46 percent to a new high of $550 million per month.
Foreign Direct Investment and Net Inflows: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased to $720 million and total net foreign investment showed a net inflow of $3.65 billion, turning around from a net outflow of $33 million during the same period last year.
The tax collection of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) touched 3.1 trillion rupees, which was a success in terms of achieving the first quarter goal. The private sector’s credit off-take rose by 16.6 percent to 11.28 trillion rupees.
Stable Sovereign Ratings: All three of these global credit rating agencies have kept Pakistan’s sovereign rating in the ‘B’ category with a stable economic outlook, said the report.