Pakistan receives $2B from Saudi Arabia to bolster reserves

Pakistan received $2 billion from Saudi Arabia on Thursday, providing support to its foreign exchange reserves as the country faces mounting external payment obligations.

The State Bank of Pakistan said in a post on the US social media platform X that it received the funds from Saudi Arabia’s Finance Ministry with a value date of April 15, 2026.

The transfer came shortly after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah.

Pakistan’s finance minister said earlier this week that Saudi Arabia had agreed to provide $3 billion in financial assistance, with the remaining funds expected to be disbursed next week.

The support comes as Pakistan is set to repay $3.5 billion in debt to the United Arab Emirates by the end of the month.

Anadolu reported last week that Saudi Arabia and Qatar are expected to provide a combined $5 billion in assistance to help Islamabad ease pressure on reserves and meet external payments by June.

Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves remain under strain due to rising import costs, and officials have warned they could decline further without fresh inflows.

Total liquid foreign exchange reserves stand at about $21.89 billion, including $16.4 billion held by the central bank and approximately $5.49 billion held by commercial banks.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said Pakistan made $1.4 billion in external payments last week.