Final tranche completes $3bn package
Pakistan’s central bank said on Tuesday 21 April 2026 that it had received the final tranche of a $3 billion financial support package agreed with Saudi Arabia, money intended to strengthen the country’s foreign exchange reserves.
In a statement posted on the social media platform X, the State Bank of Pakistan said the $1 billion had been transferred on 20 April by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Finance. “This is the second tranche of the $3 billion deposit recently agreed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. First tranche of $2 billion has already been received in the value date of 15 April 2026,” the brief statement added.
Reserves and repayment pressure
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the previous week that the new funding came in addition to Riyadh’s decision to roll over an existing $5 billion deposit for a longer period, providing further financial stability to Pakistan.
The inflow lands as Islamabad services external obligations. Pakistan repaid $2.4 billion to the United Arab Emirates the previous week and another $1 billion was expected to be settled within April. Anadolu reported earlier that Saudi Arabia and Qatar were expected to provide a combined $5 billion in assistance to help Pakistan ease pressure on reserves and meet external payments by June.
Total liquid foreign exchange reserves stood at $20.5 billion, including $15 billion held by the central bank and $5.44 billion with commercial banks. Officials have warned that reserves could decline further without fresh inflows, with import costs rising.
Why it matters
The disbursement closes the deposit package announced by Riyadh and gives the central bank a short-term buffer against the debt repayments and import bill draining reserves. Because the funds are a deposit rather than a grant, they support the balance of payments without adding to the government’s long-term debt stock, but they can be withdrawn by the lender and are not a substitute for the export and remittance earnings that underpin the external account over time.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 2026-04-21.
- Anadolu Ajansı — Pakistan receives final tranche of Saudi Arabia's $3B deposit21 April 2026 · The State Bank of Pakistan statement on the $1 billion transfer of 20 April, the earlier $2 billion first tranche, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb's comments on the $5 billion rollover, the UAE repayments, the combined $5 billion Saudi and Qatari support and the $20.5 billion reserves figure.
