The IMF board grants Pakistan a much-needed $700 million loan
The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Executive Board authorized a $700 million loan tranche for Pakistan on Thursday, which is a positive step.
The Ministry of Finance stated in a post on X that the loan was disbursed following the board’s initial assessment of Pakistan’s standby arrangement (SBA)-supported economic restructuring program.
Pakistan got the first tranche of $1.2 billion from the IMF under the $3 billion deal; the other two tranches are subject to reviews. One has already been finished, and the other will be finished in December.
The finance ministry further stated that the review’s conclusion permits an early payment of almost $700 million, increasing the total amount disbursed under the SBA to $1.9 billion.
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed the 1st review and allows for an immediate disbursement of SDR 528 million (around US$ 700 million) bringing the total disbursements under the SBA to US$ 1.9 billion.
— Ministry of Finance, Government of Pakistan (@Financegovpk) January 11, 2024
Financial analyst Dr. Khaqan Hasan Najeeb told Thenews.com.pk that Pakistan needed to pass the first assessment since it has to stay with the IMF due to its $25 billion in external funding demands.
“The IMF’s $700 million in funding and the multilaterals’ contributions will support the reserves of state banks and boost market confidence,” Najeeb continued.
When the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was set to conclude its tenure last year, Pakistan was on the verge of default. Nonetheless, the South Asian country was able to prevent the sovereign default by joining the SBA with the IMF.
As of January 5, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had $8.1 billion in foreign exchange reserves, while the nation’s overall reserves had increased to $13.2 billion following the repayment of a $66 million debt.
After the most recent tranche is added, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves will have reached a six-month high. As of July 14, the SBP had reserves of about $8.73 billion.
Najeeb stated that Pakistan must finish all of the milestones, indicative targets, quantitative performance requirements, and structural benchmarks by December 31 in order to move forward with the second review.
“For the last tranche, it is also necessary to finish the second review, which is scheduled to begin in February,” he stated.
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