IMF Mission to Visit Pakistan Next Week

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission will visit Pakistan on November 2, 2023, for the economic review of the $3 billion stand-by arrangement (SBA), the lender’s Resident Representative in Pakistan Esther Pérez Ruiz told Reuters on Tuesday. “An International Monetary Fund team led by Nathan Porter will field a mission to Pakistan starting in November 2 on the first review under the current Stand-By Arrangement,” she stated. The review comes in continuation of the 9-month SBA which was approved in July. Next week’s review of the ongoing program is expected to provide a forward-facing policy anchor for potentially unlocking the remaining bailout plus addressing domestic and external imbalances and a framework for financial support from multilateral and bilateral partners besides the IMF. Notably, the lender released $1.2 billion as a first tranche in July. The remaining quota is in contention for disbursement after next week’s meeting.