ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday received $700 million loan tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the nine-month Stand-By Arrangement (SBA).
The development comes days after the Executive Board of the IMF completed the first review of Pakistan’s economic reform programme supported by the SBA. TThe Board’s decision allowed for an immediate disbursement of around $700 million, bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to about $1.9 billion.
The IMF’s nod follows the staff-level agreement reached between the Fund and Pakistan on November 15, 2023, emphasizing the nation’s commitment to implementing key reforms.
The agreement supports the authorities’ commitment to advance the planned fiscal consolidation, accelerate cost-reducing reforms in the energy sector, complete the return to a market-determined exchange rate, and pursue state-owned enterprise and governance reforms to attract investment and support job creation, while continuing to strengthen social assistance.
The current IMF program of $3 billion is scheduled to end in the second week of April 2024, with around $1.8 billion remaining un-disbursed. The Fund released $1.2 billion first tranche in July. –Agencies
