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Markup rates for export financing raised to 13%

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  • SBP raises export financing markup rates by 200 basis points.
  • Decides to reduce gap between policy rate and EFS, LTFF to 3%.
  • This will come into effect from December 30, 2022. 

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has raised the export financing markup rates by 200 basis points in line with the key policy rate, The News reported Friday.

In a circular issued on Thursday, the central bank decided to reduce the gap between the policy rate and Export Finance Scheme (EFS) and the Long-term Financing Facility (LTFF) from the existing 5% to 3%.

“Accordingly, markup rates for financing under EFS (Part-I & Part-II) and LTFF are increased from the existing 11% per annum to 13% per annum each with effect from December 30, 2022.”

In the future with any change in the SBP policy rate, markup rates for EFS and LTFF would be revised automatically so that the gap between the policy rate and EFS and LTFF rates was maintained at 3%, the central bank added.

With the fresh SBP move, the interest rates on working capital financing and plant machinery have been increased.

The rates on EFS and LTFF schemes were fixed at 3-5% until March 2022. On July 7, 2022, the SBP linked the rates of EFS and LTFF with its policy rate.

The SBP hiked the policy rate by 100 basis points to 16% last month to prudently strike a balance between maintaining growth post-floods and managing inflation. The central bank is set to announce the upcoming interest rate decision on January 23.

Analysts expect the SBP to maintain a tight monetary stance in the second half of this fiscal year as inflation remains elevated. The policy rate is likely to be raised by 100 bps to 17% in the first quarter of 2023.

The rise in the cost of borrowing is expected to affect exports and the private sector credit growth.

In line with the slowdown in economic activity, private sector credit continued to moderate, increasing only by Rs86.2 billion during the first quarter compared to Rs226.4 billion during the same period last year, the SBP said in its last monetary policy statement.

This deceleration was mainly due to a significant decline in working capital loans to wholesale and retail trade services as well as to the textile sector in the wake of lower domestic cotton output, and a slowdown in consumer finance, it added.

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Trade Agreements Worth $10.70 Million Were Signed At Expo For Pakistan And Indonesia To Increase Their Trade With The Support Of SIFC

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Through the assistance of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), Pakistan and Indonesia have reiterated their dedication to improving their economic and commercial ties.

The participation of a Pakistani trade delegation was made possible by Indonesia at a recent trade expo, which resulted in the formation of agreements and memorandums of understanding with a total value of 10.70 million $. In addition to retail items and automobile components, these agreements span industries such as coconut, cocoa, ginger, spices, and retail goods.

As a key step toward improving economic ties, particularly with the Sindh business community, the participation of the group was praised by Tegu Viveko, who is acting as the Consul General of Indonesia.

Abid Nisar, the head of the Pakistan-Indonesia business council, has stated his confidence regarding the possibility of enhanced relations between the two countries, highlighting the historical and cultural origins of the connection.

In its capacity as a member of the G20, Indonesia intends to assist both nations in maximizing the benefits of their partnership in order to achieve better economic stability.

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Pakistan’s textile exports rose by 9.51% to $4.520 billion.

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Pakistan’s textile exports had a 9.51 percent increase in the first quarter of the current financial year (2024-25) compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported that textile exports from the country amounted to US $4.520 billion during July-September (2024-25), compared to US $4.127 billion during the same period in the previous year (2023-24).

The textile goods that facilitated trade expansion comprised cotton fabric, whose exports rose by 10.20 percent to $523.63 million from $475.187 million, and knitwear, which experienced a 14.13 percent increase in exports to $1,268.908 million from $1,111.818 million.

Other commodities that experienced trade growth included bed wear, with exports increasing by 13.31 percent to $794.972 million from $701.570 million; towels, which rose by 7.04 percent to $261.316 million from $244.134 million; and tents, canvas, and tarpaulin, which grew by 5.43 percent to $28.796 million this year compared to $27.312 million last year.

The export of readymade garments increased by 23.17 percent to $996.831 million from $809.316 million; art, silk, and synthetic textiles rose by 15.79 percent to $96.482 million; made-up articles (excluding towels and bed wear) grew by 12.10 percent to $191.050 million from $170.422 million; and the export of other textile materials surged by 8.73 percent to $187.145 million from $172.112 million.

The textile commodities that had negative trade growth were cotton yarn, with exports decreasing by 48.45 percent, from $315.404 million to $162.579 million, while raw cotton exports fell by 100 percent from 6.621 million to zero during the reviewed months.

The export of yarn, excluding cotton yarn, decreased by 15.15 percent, from $10.096 million to $8.566 million.

In September 2024, textile exports experienced a year-on-year growth of 17.92 percent compared to the same month in the previous year.

Textile exports from the country in September 2024 amounted to US $1,604.481 million, compared to US $1,360.902 million in September 2023.

Textile exports from the country experienced a nominal decline of 2.40 percent in September 2024, compared to the $1,644.333 million reported in August 2024, according to PBS statistics.

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PIA is designated as the official airline of IDEAS 2004.

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PIA has been designated as the official airline of IDEAS 2024. The PIA will utilise its aircraft for the promotion of IDEAS 2024.

In this context, the emblems of IDEAS 2024 have been affixed to two Boeing 777 aircraft and two Airbus planes of Pakistan International Airlines.

The International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2024 is scheduled to commence from November 19 to 22 at the Karachi Expo Centre.

The government of Pakistan places significant value on IDEAS. The show draws several delegates and is perceived as a means to promote their local arms trade.

The inaugural IDEAS launch took place in 2000, serving as a platform to promote Pakistan’s indigenous arms manufacturing industry while allowing international suppliers to provide solutions for the needs of Pakistan’s tri-services.

The event, consistently held at the Karachi Expo Centre, attracted forty-five foreign delegations in its inaugural year.

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