Pakistan’s total liquid foreign exchange reserves rise to $22.47 billion as central bank holdings post modest weekly increase.

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported a modest increase in its foreign exchange reserves during the week ended July 31, 2026, reversing the previous week’s decline.

According to the SBP’s weekly statement released on Thursday, the central bank’s foreign exchange reserves increased by $13 million to $17.04 billion.

The SBP said its reserves stood at $17.043 billion as of July 31, 2026, compared with $17.030 billion a week earlier.

The country’s total liquid foreign exchange reserves also recorded a slight improvement, rising to $22.475 billion from $22.442 billion in the previous week.

Of the total reserves, commercial banks held $5.432 billion in net foreign exchange reserves, compared with $5.412 billion a week earlier, reflecting an increase of $19 million.

The central bank said: “During the week ended on 31-Jul-2026, SBP’s FX reserves increased by US$13 million to $17,043.0 million.”

The latest increase follows the previous week’s decline, when the SBP’s reserves had fallen by $229 million to $17.03 billion during the week ended July 24, 2026, mainly due to external debt repayments.

Despite the modest weekly recovery, the SBP’s reserves remain below the $18.376 billion recorded at the end of June 2026, reflecting a fiscal year-to-date decline of $1.333 billion. However, compared with December 2025, the central bank’s reserves are still higher by $1.128 billion.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s total liquid foreign exchange reserves have declined by $759 million since the end of June 2026 but remain $1.462 billion higher than their level at the end of December 2025.

The movement in the country’s foreign exchange reserves remains closely watched by investors and policymakers as it reflects Pakistan’s external liquidity position and its capacity to meet external debt obligations and finance imports.