610 stories · Page 8 of 21
Indian banks have resumed bullion imports following a month-long suspension triggered by a dispute over a three per cent levy on precious metal consignments, according to sources familiar with the matter. The resumption signals a resolution of the standoff between financial institutions and regulatory authorities over the contentious duty structure.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed relevant ministries and departments to ensure an uninterrupted supply of fertiliser to Pakistani farmers, while simultaneously calling for contingency plans to secure alternative import sources. The directive reflects government concern over potential disruptions to agricultural input supply chains at a critical point in the farming calendar.
Cumulative inflows into Pakistan's Roshan Digital Account programme reached $12.747 billion as of April 2026, reflecting continued momentum in overseas Pakistani investment through the State Bank of Pakistan's flagship diaspora financial product. The milestone underscores the programme's growing role in bolstering foreign exchange reserves and channelling remittance-linked capital into formal financial instruments.
In a new development, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has issued a directive for expedited work on new fertiliser manufacturing facilities, reinforcing the government's push to reduce dependence on imported fertilisers and strengthen domestic agricultural supply chains. The Prime Minister chaired a high-level meeting on food security and fertiliser availability, during which he underscored the urgency of increasing local production capacity.
Kuwait has expressed interest in exploring new opportunities for building strategic petroleum storage infrastructure in Pakistan, signalling a potential deepening of energy cooperation between the two countries. The development comes amid broader Gulf-Pakistan engagement on energy security and investment diversification.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has extended Pakistan's government-wide conservation and austerity measures through June 13, signalling that fiscal restraint and energy saving protocols remain a live policy priority for the administration. The extension applies to directives previously issued to federal ministries, departments, and allied institutions covering electricity conservation, fuel use, official functions, and discretionary spending.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has extended the federal government's ongoing austerity drive until June 13, signalling that the administration intends to maintain fiscal discipline through the closing weeks of the current financial year ahead of the annual budget. The austerity drive, initiated earlier this year, has sought to curtail non-essential government expenditure, freeze discretionary spending, and reduce the cost of running federal ministries and divisions.
A Pakistan-China business-to-business engagement event has concluded with the signing of 27 Memoranda of Understanding, with battery energy storage emerging as the dominant sector attracting Chinese commercial interest. The outcome signals continued momentum in bilateral industrial and clean energy cooperation between Islamabad and Beijing.
Members of the Pakistan Senate on Monday sharply criticised the government's latest increase in petroleum prices, with several legislators accusing the administration of subjecting citizens to economic oppression at a time of already acute cost-of-living pressures. The floor of the upper house became a platform for bipartisan condemnation, with senators from multiple parties calling on the government to reverse or at minimum explain the rationale behind the revised fuel pricing.
Chinese energy technology company Hiconics has signalled serious interest in establishing a manufacturing presence in Pakistan, in what would represent a notable addition to the growing portfolio of Chinese industrial investment in the country under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor framework. The company, which specialises in energy management systems, inverters, and industrial energy solutions, is evaluating Pakistan as a viable production hub given the country's improving investment climate and proximity to regional markets.
Rising fears of oil-driven inflation are sapping demand for Indian government bonds as investors reassess the country's fiscal and monetary outlook against a backdrop of elevated crude prices and global supply disruption through the Strait of Hormuz. Bond yields have come under upward pressure as traders anticipate that higher oil import costs will widen India's trade deficit, strain public finances, and potentially delay any monetary easing by the Reserve Bank of India.
India's State Bank of India shed more than eleven billion US dollars in market capitalisation over two consecutive trading sessions, driven by a combination of margin compression and earnings results that fell short of investor expectations. The sharp erosion in SBI's market value represents one of the most significant single-bank valuation declines seen in Indian markets in recent memory and has cast a shadow over the broader banking sector's near-term outlook.
Comments by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding gold, combined with the ongoing oil price shock linked to the Middle East conflict, have stoked significant tariff-related anxiety in global markets, sending jewellery stocks lower across multiple exchanges. Modi's remarks, interpreted by traders as signalling a possible policy intervention in the gold trade, compounded existing investor nervousness over commodity price volatility and supply chain stability.
London Heathrow Airport has reported a measurable decline in passenger traffic attributable to the ongoing Middle East war, underlining the growing economic collateral of a conflict that has already disrupted energy markets, shipping lanes, and regional trade routes. The airport, one of the world's busiest international hubs, has seen demand fall as airlines reroute flights, suspend certain routes, and as travellers avoid itineraries that transit through or near conflict-affected airspace.
The Special Investment Facilitation Council has fast-tracked long-pending regulatory approvals for Jet Green, a $30 million airline project that had been stalled in bureaucratic limbo, marking a notable intervention by Pakistan's apex investment coordination body. Jet Green's approvals had reportedly been awaiting clearance across multiple ministries for an extended period, illustrating the procedural obstacles that have historically deterred private sector investment in Pakistan's aviation sector.
Federal Minister for Energy Ali Pervaiz Malik has reaffirmed the government's commitment to ensuring the timely completion of the Reko Diq mining project in Balochistan, one of the largest untapped gold and copper deposits in the world. The minister's statement signals continued high-level political backing for an initiative that is central to Pakistan's long-term resource development strategy.
Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik on Monday chaired a high-level meeting with the chief executives and managing directors of Pakistan's oil refineries to review progress on the government's Brownfield Upgradation Refinery Policy. The minister reaffirmed the government's commitment to accelerating policy operationalisation as a cornerstone of long-term energy security.
The Pakistan Stock Exchange closed Monday's session in negative territory, shedding over 609 points as a bearish trend took hold across market sectors. The decline reflects growing investor caution amid a combination of domestic fiscal uncertainties and the ongoing volatility generated by the Middle East conflict.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan has granted authorisation to five brokerage firms to offer Shariah-compliant trading services, marking a substantive expansion of Pakistan's Islamic capital market infrastructure and broadening investor access to halal financial products. The SECP's move is consistent with the government's broader push to develop the Islamic finance ecosystem in Pakistan, which includes the expansion of Sukuk issuances, halal investment products, and Shariah-screened equity portfolios.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been briefed that Pakistan's information technology exports are projected to reach between $4 billion and $4.6 billion during the current fiscal year, marking a significant uptick in the country's technology-driven foreign exchange earnings. The briefing, which took place in Islamabad, highlighted accelerating growth in Pakistan's IT and IT-enabled services sector, driven by a rising number of registered technology firms, expanding freelance workforce, and increasing overseas client acquisition by Pakistani software houses.
Pakistan's information technology exports are on course to reach $4.6 billion during the current fiscal year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was informed during a high-level briefing on the sector's performance. The figure represents a significant upward projection, with domestic internet connections having tripled over the same period — an indicator of expanding digital infrastructure underpinning the export surge.
The Pakistani government has announced a reduction in tariffs at Gwadar Port as part of a concerted push to attract greater international shipping traffic and strengthen the port's competitive position in regional trade. The move is intended to lower operational costs for shipping lines and cargo operators, making Gwadar a more commercially viable gateway for trade flows between Central Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa.
Indian equity markets and the rupee came under simultaneous pressure on Monday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on citizens to conserve fuel amid a sharp spike in global crude oil prices. The appeal, unusual in its directness, underscored the severity of the external pressure India faces as an oil-import-dependent economy vulnerable to energy price shocks.
Chinese equity markets surged to an eleven-year high on Monday, driven by a confluence of optimism around artificial intelligence investment and a stronger-than-expected rebound in export data. The rally reflected renewed investor confidence in China's economic trajectory after a prolonged period of subdued market performance weighed down by property sector stress and sluggish domestic consumption.
The federal government has revised the tariff structure at Gwadar Port in a bid to attract greater cargo volumes and position the facility as a competitive regional maritime hub, according to an announcement on Monday. The revised tariff framework is designed to lower the cost burden on shipping companies and cargo operators, making Gwadar a more attractive option compared with regional ports.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called on the country to reduce fuel consumption as a precautionary response to supply disruptions stemming from the ongoing Middle East conflict, underscoring the war's widening economic footprint across major energy-importing nations. The appeal reflects growing anxiety in New Delhi about energy security as the conflict continues to threaten key shipping corridors.
Pakistan's cotton stocks have fallen to their lowest level in recent memory ahead of the new ginning season, raising alarm across the textile industry and among commodity traders who depend on stable raw material availability. Industry sources describe the situation as being at the lowest ebb, warning that the shortfall could disrupt production schedules for one of Pakistan's most critical export sectors.
Pakistan's foreign economic assistance inflows have risen by nearly 20 percent, offering a degree of external financing comfort to an economy navigating fiscal consolidation under its IMF programme. The increase reflects both disbursements from multilateral lenders and bilateral development partners, according to figures reported by financial authorities.
The chief executive of Saudi Aramco has issued a stark warning that the loss of one billion barrels of oil from global supply will significantly slow any recovery in energy markets, raising fresh concerns about price trajectories and supply chain stability worldwide. The statement, attributed to Aramco's chief executive, underscores growing anxiety within the energy sector over supply disruptions that have emerged from geopolitical tensions, infrastructure damage, and reduced capital investment in upstream exploration over the past two years.
A senior White House economist projected on Sunday that United States GDP growth could surpass five percent, citing a sustained boom in capital spending as the primary driver. The forecast, if realised, would represent one of the strongest growth performances in recent American economic history and carry significant implications for global financial conditions.