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  • Sale of Prize Bonds Rs7,500, Rs15,000 stopped forthwith

    Sale of Prize Bonds Rs7,500, Rs15,000 stopped forthwith

    ISLAMABAD: The finance ministry on Thursday announced that national prize bonds of denominations Rs7,500 and Rs15,000 shall not be sold with immediate effect.

    In different notifications the finance division announced to withdraw the prize bonds of denominations Rs7,500 and Rs15,000 from circulation with immediate effect.

    According to the notifications:

    “… Prize bonds of Rs7,500 denominations shall not be sold with immediate effect and will not be encahsed / redeemed after December 31, 2020 … “

    “ … Prize bonds of Rs15,000 denomination shall not be sold with immediate effect and will not be encahsed / redeemed after June 30, 2021 … “

    The finance divisions also issued the procedure for redemption/conversion of bonds.

    The bonds can be converted to premium prize bonds (registered) of denomination of Rs25,000 and Rs40,000 (subject to the adjustment of differential amount) through 16 field offices of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Banking Services Corporation, and branches of six commercial banks i.e. National Bank of Pakistan, Habib Bank Limited, United Bank Limited, MCB Bank Limited, Allied Bank Limited and Bank Alfalah Limited.

    The bonds can be replaced with Special Saving Certificates/Defence Saving Certificates through the 16 field offices of SBP Banking Services Corporation, authorized commercial banks and National Savings Center.

    The bonds will only be encashed by transferring the proceeds to the bonds holder’s bank account through the 16 field offices of SBP banking services corporation well as the authorized commercial bank branches and to the Saving Accounts at National Savings Centers.

    Investors redeem Rs115 billion against suspended Rs25,000 prize bonds
  • PM hopes car scheme to generate demand for domestic industry

    PM hopes car scheme to generate demand for domestic industry

    KARACHI: Prime Minister Imran Khan paid rich tribute to Overseas Pakistanis for their overwhelming response to the Roshan Digital Account (RDA). He said their support and vote of confidence have been pivotal in making the initiative a big success within a short period of time, according to a press release issued by State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Thursday.

    The prime minister was addressing a gathering of ministers, CEOs of car manufacturers and insurance companies, heads of leading charities, presidents of banks, SBP officials and other distinguished guests to celebrate the $1 billion mark in RDA deposits and to launch two additional products specially created for Overseas Pakistanis through RDA—Roshan Apni Car and Roshan Samaaji Khidmat.

    The success of RDA and today’s addition of further products under this scheme demonstrate that if the public and private sector work together in a spirit of cooperation, any project is bound to succeed, he added.

    The Prime Minister appreciated the out-of-the-box approach of the SBP and the banking industry in digitally connecting Overseas Pakistanis to the Pakistani banking system and economy through RDA. He also lauded the continued innovation they are showing through the addition of the Roshan Apni Car and Roshan Samaaji Khidmat products.

    He hoped that the Roshan Apni Car initiative would not only help Overseas Pakistanis to fulfill the needs of their loved ones in Pakistan but would also create additional demand for the car industry that will in turn help them and connected industries to grow at a faster pace.

    He was also confident that Roshan Samaaji Khidmat will be able to provide a convenient one stop donation platform for Overseas Pakistanis to meet their charitable giving goals and Zakat obligations. Appreciating the spirit of charity demonstrated time and time again by Overseas Pakistanis, he noted that these additional funds will help social sector organizations and NGOs to help an even larger number of disadvantaged people in Pakistan. The Prime Minister was especially pleased to note that, for the first time, Overseas Pakistanis will now also be able to contribute to “Ehsaas”, the government’s internationally acclaimed poverty alleviation program, through Roshan Samaaji Khidmat.

    In his welcome address, Governor SBP, Dr. Reza Baqir, thanked the Honourable Prime Minister for his vision of connecting the Pakistani diaspora through financial services and for his constant encouragement and guidance.

    He said he was feeling proud today that banks were able to receive $1 billion in deposits through RDA in such a short period of time. Recalling the launch of RDA in September 2020, he said that the first major milestone of receiving $500 million was passed after five months.

    After only another two months, the $1 billion mark has been crossed, demonstrating the accelerating pace inflows. He noted that more than 120,000 Roshan Digital Accounts have been opened from 170 countries around the world.

    He remarked that deposits through these accounts were providing a brand new source of foreign exchange inflows that were helping to improve Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves and balance of payments position. He appreciated the hard work of all the staff and senior management of both the banks and SBP, noting that their dedication and spirit of constant innovation have been critical to the success of the initiative.

    Roshan Digital Account was conceived to offer lifestyle banking products in Pakistan to Overseas Pakistanis, including money deposit facilities, investment opportunities in Naya Pakistan Certificates, the stock market and real estate, as well as other day to day payment facilities. This suite of lifestyle products is being constantly expanded, with today’s launch of Roshan Apni Car and Roshan SamaajiKhidmat being the latest example.

    Roshan Apni Car has been specially designed for Overseas Pakistanis and has many distinguishing features. For the first time in the history of the banking industry, an RDA holder will be able to apply for car financing for their loved ones in Pakistan completely digitally. Processing time will be fast. Financing and insurance will be available at very attractive rates, and in both conventional and Shariah compliant forms. Moreover, car manufacturers have committed to significantly slashing the car delivery time for RDA holders.  

    Roshan SamaajiKhidmatis a one stop payment platform to enable Overseas Pakistanis to make donations to leading charities, hospitals and educational institutes in Pakistan, as well as to meet their  Zakat obligations. In addition to these private sector organizations, SBP also worked closely with Special Assistant of the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Dr. SaniaNishtar, and her team to integrate “Ehsaas”, the government’s flagship poverty alleviation program, with the Roshan Samaaji Khidmat portal.

    As a result, private participation in one of the world’s most acclaimed poverty alleviation programsis being made possible for the first time.

    Through Roshan Samaaji Khidmat, Overseas Pakistanis are being given the opportunity to make direct contributions to the program. In so doing, they would be providing vital support to the government’s efforts to lift millions of their fellow Pakistanis out of poverty.

  • Foreign exchange reserves increase by $307 million to $23.52 billion

    Foreign exchange reserves increase by $307 million to $23.52 billion

    KARACHI: The foreign exchange reserves of the country increased by $307 million to $23.52 billion by week ended April 23, 2021, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Thursday.

    The foreign exchange reserves of the country were at $23.213 billion by week ended April 16, 2021.

    The foreign exchange reserves of the central bank increased by $384 million to $16.428 billion by week ended April 23, 2021 as compared with $16.044 billion a week ago.

    However, foreign exchange reserves held by commercial banks fell by $77 million to $7.092 billion by week ended April 23, 2021 as compared with $7.169 billion a week ago.

  • SBP revises bank timings

    SBP revises bank timings

    KARACHI: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Wednesday revised the office and public dealing hours of banks.

    The SBP said that in line with the decision of National Command & Operation Centre (NCOC) to contain the spread of COVID-19, the SBP will observe the following office hours, which will also be followed by all banks / DFIs / MFBs till further orders:

    Bank office hours:

    Monday to Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (without break)

    Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (without break)

    Banks / MFBs have been advised to observe the following business (banking) hours for public dealing:

    Monday to Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (without break)

    Friday 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (without break)

    Previously, the SBP issued bank timings during Ramazan on April 12, 2021. However, new timings shall supersede the instructions contained in BPRD Circular Letter No.10 dated April 12, 2021.

  • Bank holiday announced

    Bank holiday announced

    KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has officially announced that it, along with all commercial and microfinance banks, will observe a bank holiday on May 1, 2021, in observance of Labor Day.

    (more…)
  • Financing to housing sector increases to Rs202 billion: SBP

    Financing to housing sector increases to Rs202 billion: SBP

    KARACHI: Recent measures taken by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) the financing for housing and construction sector increased significantly to Rs202 billion in March 2021.

    The SBP in a statement said that housing and construction finance has been progressing significantly and a momentum in housing and construction finance is building up. The banks’ housing and construction finance portfolio has increased from Rs148 billion by the end of June 2020 to Rs202 billion in March 2021 (chart).

    This represents a growth of Rs54 billion or 36 percent in three quarters of FY21 compared to a stagnant position in earlier quarters. Such growth in housing and construction finance in such a period has never been witnessed in Pakistan’s history previously.

    Overall financing to the housing and construction sector by banks is likely to increase further significantly as mortgage finance activity under Mera Pakistan Mera Ghar Scheme is picking up pace. As of April 20, 2021banks have received applications for financing of more than Rs52 billion from the general public under this scheme. Of these, the banks have approved financing of more than Rs15 billion to the applicants while the remaining applications are at different stages of the evaluation and approval process. 

    The SBP said that keeping in view the need to improve housing in the country and the important role of construction sector in boosting economic activities in the countries, the Government of Pakistan envisions to increase the number of housing units manifold in coming years and has taken several measures in this regard. A key element to ensure sustainable increase in the construction of building activities is the provision of financing both to the supply and demand side players of the housing and construction sector. 

    Financing to the housing and construction sector in Pakistan has almost always remained quite negligible in the credit portfolios of banks when compared with other developed and developing countries for various reasons. To support the vision of the Government of Pakistan, the State Bank of Pakistan has taken several measures since July 2020 to support the provision of financing for the housing and construction sector by way of giving incentives and targets to the banks. A key regulatory measure in this direction was assigning mandatory targets to banks to increase financing for mortgages to builders and developers. Banks are required to increase their housing and construction finance portfolios to at least 5 percent of their private sector advances by end December 2021.

    In October 2020, the Government of Pakistan augmented these efforts by introducing the Government Markup Subsidy Scheme, now commonly known as Mera Pakistan Mera Ghar Housing Finance Scheme. This scheme enables banks to provide financing for the construction and purchase of houses at very low markup rates, targeting low to middle income segments of the population.

    The State Bank of Pakistan has been actively engaged with banks to ensure that a vast majority of masses could benefit from the Mera Pakistan Mera Pakistan Housing Finance Scheme.  For this purpose, SBP with the help of Pakistan Banks’ Association (PBA) and banks is ensuring that process of applying for housing finance is easy for the masses and in case they face any difficulty or have complaints, help is provided to them promptly and complaints are resolved in a timely manner.

    To begin with, commercial Banks have designated 50% of their branches, around 7,700, across the country for accepting applications under Mera Pakistan Mera Ghar Housing Finance Scheme. In addition, all the remaining branches will also provide basic information about the scheme and refer applicants to the designated branches. Banks are regularly advertising the features of the scheme to attract and encourage potential customers.

    In order to address complaints, the State Bank has established a comprehensive complaint resolution mechanism which comprises of an internet portal supported by a network of State Bank and commercial bank staff. The IT portal is live for registration of complaints by applicants who face any difficulty in obtaining loans. State Bank has also established help desks in its 16 offices across the country to facilitate applicants in registration of their complaints through the IT portal. These help desks address access challenges of applicants, especially from low-income strata, arising out of potential language and technology barriers.

    The Pakistan Banks’ Association (PBA) has also been playing a very active role in the promotion of Mera Ghar Mera Pakistan Housing Finance Scheme. It is very close to establishing a single call center to address applicant’s questions and to guide them towards their nearest branches to submit application for home loans.

    A significant number of Pakistanis who currently do not own a house and are eligible for financing under the Mera Pakistan Mera Ghar Scheme face difficulties in providing documentary evidence of regular sources of income to prove their ability to repay. To address this issue, the State Bank is coordinating with banks to develop a mechanism whereby income proxies, based on demonstrated expenses like rent payments or utility bills, could be used for credit evaluation and income assessment.

    PBA is engaged with internationally renowned experts to develop scoring models in this regard in the coming months. The State Bank is facilitating banks to get data from mobile phone companies, utility providers and other government agencies to run these credit scoring models. Banks have already developed initial judgmental income proxy model to accommodate applicants with informal incomes till the time expert’s developed scoring models are implemented.

  • SBP imposes Rs96 million as monetary penalties on top banks

    SBP imposes Rs96 million as monetary penalties on top banks

    KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has imposed around Rs96 million as monetary penalties on top banks for violating regulatory instructions, including instructions related to anti-money laundering (AML) and combating financing of terrorism (CFT), a notification said on Friday.

    The SBP imposed these penalties during quarter ended March 31, 2021 on Habib Bank Limited, MCB Bank Limited, MCB Islamic Bank Limited and United Bank Limited.

    The details shows that the central bank imposed an amount of Rs39.77 million on Habib Bank Limited for violating regulatory instructions pertaining to Foreign Exchange and General Banking Operations. The SBP, in addition to penal action, directed to strengthen its process with respect to identified areas.

    The SBP imposed penalty of Rs10 million on MCB Bank Limited for violating the regulatory instructions pertaining to general banking operations. In addition to penal action the bank has been advised to strengthen its processes with respect to identified areas.

    The central bank imposed monetary penalty of Rs37.09 million on MCB Islamic Bank Limited for violating the regulatory instructions pertaining to AML/CFT, Foreign Exchange and General Banking Operations. In addition to penal action, the bank has been advised to conduct an internal inquiry on breaches of regulatory instructions and take disciplinary action against the delinquent officials.

    The SBP imposed an amount of Rs10.71 million as monetary penalty on United Bank Limited for violating the regulatory instructions pertaining to CDD/KYC and general banking operations. In addition to penal action the bank has been advised to strengthen its processes to avoid recurrence of such violations.

    The SBP from July 2019 started public disclosure of penal action against banks. “Enforcement actions are an integral part of regulatory regime which involves imposition of monetary penalties and other actions against institutions and individuals for violations of laws, rules, regulations, guidelines or directives issued by SBP from time to time,” according to a circular issued by the central bank.

    In order to bring more transparency and strengthen market discipline, SBP has decided to publicly disclose significant enforcement actions.

  • Foreign exchange reserves flat at $23.21 billion

    Foreign exchange reserves flat at $23.21 billion

    KARACHI: The foreign exchange reserves of the country registered nominal fall of $7 million to $23.213 billion by week ended April 16, 2021, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Thursday.

    The foreign exchange reserves of the country were $23.22 billion by week ended April 09, 2021.

    The official foreign exchange reserves of the SBP fell by $62 million to $16.044 billion by week ended April 16, 2021 from $16.106 billion a week ago.

    However, foreign exchange reserves maintained by commercial banks increased by $55 million to $7.169 billion by week ended April 16, 2021 as compared with $7.114 billion a week ago.

  • SBP, SECP revise ToRs for joint task force

    SBP, SECP revise ToRs for joint task force

    KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) have amended the Terms of Reference (ToRs) of their Joint Task Force (JTF) on Financial Conglomerates to further strengthen the  supervisory cooperation, inter alia, in AML/CFT/CPF supervision at financial-group level. Dr, Reza Baqir, Governor, SBP and Aamir Khan, Chairman, SECP have signed the Letter of Understanding (LoU) for amendments in the ToRs, according to a statement issued on Thursday.

    The interagency cooperation between financial sector regulators is a crucial element for the effective supervision of financial groups, which comprise various types of financial institutions.

    Accordingly, the SBP and SECP established the JTF in March 2009 to proactively identify and tackle the risks posed by conglomeration in the financial sector.

    The ToRs of the JTF envisage the supervisory cooperation, holding periodic meetings and information sharing between both the regulators in respect of the financial groups. The ToRs have been revised from time to time to align with the developments in the regulatory sphere and dynamics of the financial market.

    Keeping in view the importance of the group-level AML/CFT/CPF supervision, both SBP and SECP jointly agreed to specifically cover this area in the ToRs of the JTF in a more explicit manner.

    These improvements in the ToRs will allow the regulators to effectively implement group-level AML/CFT/CPF supervision in line with the international standards, and strengthen cooperation and information sharing in a more systematic manner. Revised TORs will further the overall policy objectives of soundness, integrity and fair conduct in the financial system.