Pakistan's current account deficit contracts 90pc to $0.24bn in Jan

Pakistan's current account deficit contracts 90pc to $0.24bn in Jan

Business

The deficit has declined 16.55pc as compared to December’s $0.29bn

KARACHI (Dunya News) - The country's current account deficit contracted 90.2 per cent to $0.24 billion in January this year from $2.47bn in the corresponding month of 2022.

The data shared by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) shows that the deficit has declined 16.55pc as compared to December’s $0.29bn.

The central bank on Monday reported that cumulatively, the country recorded a CAD amounting to $3.799bn in Jul-Jan FY23 compared to $11.558bn in the same period of the previous fiscal year, a decline of $7.75bn.

“CAD recorded $0.2 billion in January 2023 against a deficit of $2.5 billion in January 2022,” the central bank said.

The decline comes as Pakistan moved to restrict imports, curtailing the opening of letters of credit for a variety of sectors much to the dismay of businesses who rely on inward shipments for their operations.

Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have also depleted to critical levels, at less than a month of import cover.

The coalition government is currently engaged in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the resumption of the stalled Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme.