IT exports eye the next leap

Business Recorder reports that Pakistan's IT exports opened FY27 strongly, with July-26 receipts at USD417 million. That figure was 18 percent higher than a year earlier and close to the USD416 million logged in June. It stands as the second-highest monthly export value in the recent series, after the USD437 million seen in Dec-25.

Exports have now stayed above year-earlier levels on a consistent basis rather than in a single spike. Over the trailing 12 months, receipts totalled USD4.66 billion, a 20 percent increase on the USD3.87 billion of the earlier year. The sector stands out because it adds a much larger net amount to the external account than goods shipments, which often lose a large share of receipts to imported inputs and energy.

Policy support includes permission for IT exporters to hold as much as half of their receipts in foreign currency accounts. Banks have also made it easier to process incoming export money and cross-border payments, helped by dedicated desks and simpler paperwork. Official targets include USD10 billion in IT exports by FY29 under the Uraan Pakistan framework, and an IT ministry goal of USD25 billion in ICT by 2030.