KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Thursday said it has extended a currency swap arrangement (CSA) with the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) for three years in their respective local currencies.
The central banks also agreed to increase the CSA amount from 10 billion yuan ($1.56 billion) to 20 billion, and from 165 billion Pakistani rupees ($1.43 billion) to 351 billion.
A CSA allows parties to exchange payments in one currency for equivalent amounts in the other to facilitate bilateral trade settlements, providing liquidity support to financial markets.
“The increase in the CSA amount reinforces the commitment of the two central banks to promote the usage of local currencies in bilateral trade and investment, and strengthen financial cooperation between the two countries,” the SBP said.
The CSA was signed on Dec. 23, 2011, to promote bilateral trade and finance direct investment between the two countries in their respective currencies.
Financial experts term this agreement and its continuation a big development, especially in the presence of the ongoing projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
“In the presence of CPEC (the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), this is a huge development since it will ease the pressure on foreign exchange reserves needed for the import of machinery to undertake CPEC-related projects,” said Muzamil Aslam, senior economist and CEO of EFG-Hermes Pakistan.
Since the CSA is a bilateral financial transaction, all terms and conditions apply equally to both countries, and the pricing is based on standard market benchmarks, which are widely accepted in both domestic markets. Both banks will be able to draw on the swap line anytime during the tenure of the swap.
The SBP can purchase yuan from the PBOC against the rupee, and repurchase its local currency with the same yuan on a predetermined maturity date and exchange rate.
Similarly, the PBOC can purchase rupees against the yuan, for which standard market pricing will apply. Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves have plummeted to $16.6 billion.
“The CSA will help Pakistan avert pressure on the US dollar since exports between Pakistan and China will take place in their local currencies,” Aslam told Arab News.
“It will also ease pressure on the current account deficit, as we will have to pay in Chinese currency instead of the dollar.”
Muhammad Sohail, senior financial expert and CEO of Topline Securities, said: “This is a short-term step to avert a major foreign exchange reserves crisis. Pakistan needs to seriously take measures to boost its exports and curtail its imports.”
This is the second CSA that the SBP has signed, the first one being with the Central Bank of Turkey on Nov. 1, 2011.
Pakistan, China extend currency swap agreement
Pakistan, China extend currency swap agreement
- The arrangement will ease pressure on dollar-based foreign exchange reserves while importing machinery for CPEC-related projects, say financial experts
- The CSA amount has been increased from 10 billion yuan to 20 billion, and from 165 billion rupees to 351 billion
Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 11,183
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dipped on Monday, losing 44.79 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 11,183.85.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR4.05 billion ($1.08 billion), as 69 of the listed stocks advanced, while 191 retreated.
The MSCI Tadawul Index decreased, down 6.63 points or 0.44 percent, to close at 1,504.73.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu lost 328.20 points, or 1.36 percent, to close at 23,764.92. This comes as 22 of the listed stocks advanced, while 49 retreated.
The best-performing stock was Maharah Human Resources Co., with its share price surging by 7.26 percent to SR6.50.
Other top performers included Arabian Cement Co., which saw its share price rise by 6.27 percent to SR22.71, and Saudi Research and Media Group, which saw a 4.3 percent increase to SR104.30.
On the downside, the worst performer of the day was Arabian Internet and Communications Services Co., whose share price fell by 8.01 percent to SR207.80.
Jahez International Co. for Information System Technology and Al-Rajhi Co. for Cooperative Insurance also saw declines, with their shares dropping by 5.61 percent and 4.46 percent to SR12.79 and SR75, respectively.
On the announcement front, Etihad Etisalat Co. announced its financial results for 2025 with a 7.9 percent year-on-year growth in its revenues, to reach SR19.6 billion.
In a Tadawul statement, Mobily said that this growth is attributed to “the expansion of all revenue streams, with a healthy growth in the overall subscriber base.”
Mobily delivered an 11.6 percent increase in net profit, reaching SR3.4 billion in 2025 compared to SR3.1 billion in 2024.
The company’s share price reached SR67.85, marking a 0.37 percent increase on the main market.
