Remittances rise 16.5pc in August to $3.66bn

Overseas Pakistanis sent $3.656bn home in August, according to Dawn, citing data the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) released on Wednesday. The August figure was 16.5 per cent higher than a year earlier and 0.7pc above July's $3.630bn. Over the first two months of 2026-27, inflows reached $7.3bn, up 14.7pc from $6.4bn a year ago.

Khurram Schezad, Adviser to the Ministry of Finance, described the flows as a key support for the external account, household incomes and foreign exchange reserves. Dawn noted that the government has set a $44bn target for FY27 and that the trend appears to be on track. The paper also recorded $41.6bn received in FY26.

Inflows from the UAE rose by $106.9m to $749.8m in August, while Saudi Arabia remained the largest source at $873.5m. Some businesspeople in the Gulf, however, said Pakistanis were moving liquid assets home during the prolonged war in the region.