Pakistan receives $2 billion from Saudi Arabia, central bank says
Officials say Pakistan will repay about $3.5 billion to UAE, while State Bank of Pakistan has already settled $1.3 billion in Eurobond maturities
Haris Zamir
Business Editor
Experience of almost 33 years where started the journey of financial journalism from Business Recorder in 1992. From 2006 onwards attached with Television Media worked at Sun Tv, Dawn Tv, Geo Tv and Dunya Tv. During the period also worked as a stringer for Bloomberg for seven years and Dow Jones for five years. Also wrote articles for several highly acclaimed periodicals like the Newsline, Pakistan Gulf Economist and Money Matters (The News publications)
Pakistan said on Thursday it had received a $2 billion deposit from Saudi Arabia, providing support to its foreign exchange reserves as the country navigates external financing pressures.
In a post on the social media platform X, the State Bank of Pakistan said it had received the funds from the Saudi Ministry of Finance, with the value date of April 15, 2026.
The inflow is part of a broader financial arrangement under which Pakistan is to receive $3 billion from Saudi Arabia. Of this, $5 billion is currently held as deposits with the central bank, which authorities say have been rolled over until 2028. Such deposits are typically extended on an annual basis.
State Bank of Pakistan has received funds of US$2 billion from Ministry of Finance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the value date of 15April2026.
— SBP (@StateBank_Pak) April 16, 2026
The support comes as Pakistan works to shore up its external position and meet upcoming debt obligations.
Officials say the government is preparing to repay about $3.5 billion owed to the United Arab Emirates, which extended financing support in 2019 to help stabilize Pakistan’s balance of payments. The central bank has already repaid $1.3 billion in Eurobond maturities last week.
An official said the arrival of funds from Saudi Arabia has helped ease uncertainty, although it may not fully bridge financing gaps after repayments to Eurobond investors and upcoming obligations to the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, whose deposits have been rolled over multiple times since 2019.
In recent months, those extensions had shortened to as little as one month, reflecting unease in Abu Dhabi over the continuation of the arrangement.
Under its ongoing program with the International Monetary Fund, Pakistan is required to secure around $12.5 billion in rollovers from key partners, including China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to maintain reserve levels and meet external financing needs. UAE deposits are a critical component of this arrangement.
The latest available data shows Pakistan’s central bank reserves at about $16.3 billion.
The latest Saudi deposit underscores continued financial backing from key regional partners as Pakistan seeks to maintain reserve adequacy and investor confidence.
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