KARACHI: Saudi Arabia is expected to be Pakistan’s largest source of external financing in the upcoming fiscal year with over $6 billion in support as the South Asian country seeks to raise more than $20 billion from international lenders to uplift its fragile economy, official budget documents released this week showed.

In the 2025–26 fiscal year starting July 1, Pakistan aims to secure $6.46 billion from Riyadh, including $5 billion in time deposits, $1 billion in oil on deferred payments, and $46.4 million in economic assistance, according to the budget documents.

The financial support is intended to help stabilize the country’s external account and meet its balance of payments needs.

Islamabad has long relied on financial support from its Gulf and Chinese partners to shore up its foreign reserves and avoid default. In 2023, these inflows played a key role in helping Pakistan avert a sovereign debt crisis.

“The support from Saudi Arabia in the form of deposits and oil facility is undoubtedly the major source of the external stability,” said Shankar Talreja, head of research at Karachi-based Topline Securities.

Pakistan’s government unveiled a Rs17.6 trillion ($62 billion) federal budget on June 10, aiming to consolidate what it describes as fragile macroeconomic stability achieved under a $7 billion bailout loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Notably, Pakistan has not earmarked a specific amount under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its external financing estimates for 2025-26. The country is currently operating under a 37-month IMF Extended Fund Facility approved last year.

In total, Pakistan has budgeted for Rs5.78 trillion ($20.4 billion) in foreign assistance in FY26, including both loans and grants from bilateral and multilateral partners, to help shore up reserves and finance its current account. The country’s total external receipts for the year are budgeted at Rs20.3 trillion ($71.9 billion).

China, Pakistan’s largest trading partner and longtime ally, is projected to be the second-biggest lender after Riyadh with $4.37 billion, including $4 billion in “safe deposits,” a form of central bank support, and $37 million in economic assistance.

“China is a major bilateral partner… supporting Pakistan with both commercial loans and time deposits,” said Talreja. “Both types are refinanced and renewed annually.”

Pakistan’s multilateral lenders include the Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and others such as the United Nations, OPEC Fund, and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

SMALLER LENDERS AND REMITTANCES

Besides Saudi Arabia and China, Pakistan will also seek smaller amounts of aid and financing from countries including the United States, France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Japan, and South Korea, according to the budget documents, which also list smaller expected inflows from Kuwait ($21.4 million) and Oman ($5.14 million).

However, a long-delayed Saudi oil facility, initially expected last year, has yet to materialize. Media reports have suggested Riyadh has linked its final approval to progress on Saudi investment in Pakistan’s Reko Diq copper and gold mining project.

State media reported in September that Saudi Arabia had offered a 15 percent equity stake in the multibillion-dollar Reko Diq mine in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province. The project, one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper-gold reserves, is operated by Canada’s Barrick Gold.

Islamabad also plans to raise $1.3 billion in commercial loans and $400 million through international bond issuances, though the finance ministry has not specified the sovereign guarantees or instruments.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has separately said the government aims to issue Panda bonds, yuan-denominated debt instruments issued in China, to raise around $200 million from Chinese investors to boost foreign exchange reserves.

In addition to official financing, Pakistan continues to benefit significantly from worker remittances, particularly from the Gulf region.

According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2024–25, released this week, Saudi Arabia accounted for $7.4 billion in remittances in the last fiscal year, about 25 percent of the national total.

Remittances from all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain — totaled $16.1 billion, or more than half of Pakistan’s total remittance inflows in 2024.

“In the GCC region, expanding Saudi mega-projects led to higher migrant employment, further contributing to inflows,” the economic survey said.

“It’s not just deposits and oil facilities helping Pakistan,” added Talreja. “Remittances from Saudi Arabia alone are a quarter of Pakistan’s total remittances.”

“Saudi Arabia is a key nation for Pakistan in terms of foreign inflows, whether in the form of remittances or economic assistance,” Sana Tawfik, head of research at Arif Habib Ltd. said.

JEDDAH: Saudi-UK business ties are set to grow as more than 400 leaders from various sectors gathered in London to explore cross-border investment opportunities and strengthen economic partnerships.

Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih led the Kingdom’s delegation at the UK-Saudi Investment and Partnership Summit held on June 11 at Mansion House in London’s financial district.

The Kingdom and the UK are strengthening economic ties, with bilateral trade hitting $21.6 billion in 2023 and a shared target of $37.5 billion by 2030, driven by the UK-GCC Free Trade Agreement negotiations and the UK’s GREAT Futures campaign.

Investment flows remain strong, with Saudi Arabia investing over $21 billion in the UK since 2017, including $3.5 billion in the northeast, while UK foreign direct investment in the Kingdom reached $13 billion by 2023.

Organized by the UK-British Joint Business Council and hosted by the City of London Corp., the summit was supported by the Saudi Ministry of Investment and the UK Department for Business and Trade, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

According to Al-Falih, the Kingdom and the UK share a bold vision for global leadership and a longstanding legacy of international trade.

“More than 30,000 UK British professionals reside in Saudi Arabia, and British investment in the Kingdom exceeds £14 billion, reflecting the bright future of the partnership between the two countries,” the minister said in a post on his X handle.

Al-Falih delivered the keynote speech, highlighting investment opportunities in infrastructure, financial services, and the green economy, as over 400 leaders gained insights into evolving markets and emerging investment trends.

The minister also engaged in a high-level ministerial dialogue with UK Investment Minister Baroness Poppy Gustafsson, highlighting the evolution of the strategic relationship and the countries’ shared outlook for the future.

“Today, I met with our UK partners— including Baroness Poppy Gustafsson, minister of investment; His Excellency Ambassador of the UK to Saudi Arabia Neil Crompton; and the Rt Hon. Lord Mayor of London, Alastair King— to discuss enhanced investment cooperation and partnership between our great nations,” Al-Falih said in a post on X.

In a separate post, the Saudi minister said: “At the historic Mansion House in the City of London, I spoke to an elite group of global investors, inviting them to explore the exceptional opportunities offered by Saudi Arabia. I shared insights into our future investment prospects, particularly in mutually prioritized sectors.”

In his speech, the minister discussed progress under the Mansion House Accord — a UK-led initiative to unlock up to £50 billion ($63.5 billion) in domestic investment from pension funds into high-growth sectors.

Panel discussions addressed joint development priorities aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the UK’s industrial strategy, Invest 2035 — the UK government’s 10-year plan to provide certainty and stability for investments in high-growth sectors driving national growth.

Key topics included expanding public-private partnerships, mobilizing capital for large-scale infrastructure and real estate projects, supporting venture capital ecosystems, and harnessing frontier technologies such as deep tech, space, and clean innovation.

The Saudi Ministry of Investment noted that the summit agenda was designed to encourage practical dialogue, facilitate cross-border investment flows, and accelerate economic diversification through sustainable, forward-looking partnerships.

The London meetings followed the launch of the UK-Saudi Sustainable Infrastructure Assembly in May, a platform uniting companies, policymakers, and experts from both countries to shape the future of investment in infrastructure.

The assembly is part of the UK government’s “Great Futures” campaign, which promotes bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, tourism, education, and culture. A concluding meeting is planned for the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh this fall. 

New Saudi offices in the UK, including those of the Public Investment Fund subsidiaries, NEOM, and Elm, alongside 52 UK firms establishing regional headquarters in Riyadh, further highlight expanding cross-border engagement.

Both nations also collaborate in areas such as energy, financial services, education, and green technologies. London has become a preferred hub for Saudi capital, with $69.9 billion raised since 2022 — $13.8 billion of which targeted sustainable finance.