RDA inflows rise as regional conflict prompts strategic fund relocation: Aurangzeb

Business Recorder reported that Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb put RDA inflows at close to $300 million, up from over $200 million earlier. He linked part of the increase to people moving funds strategically because of regional conflict. The remarks were made at a London roadshow on remittances and the Roshan Digital Account, put together by UBL and Meezan Bank.

Aurangzeb urged overseas Pakistanis to look beyond real estate and the Naya Pakistan Certificate, including industrial investment. He said the focus had shifted from whether money returns to Pakistan to where it is directed and invested. The SBP separately said inflows through the scheme had reached $13.9 billion by the end of August 2026, while the minister said import cover had improved to roughly three months.

The RDA, launched by the SBP in September 2020 with commercial banks, lets non-resident Pakistanis open accounts remotely through a fully digital process. Supporters credit the scheme with online innovation and with bringing remittances into formal channels, yet it has also drawn criticism because much of its inflows are either repatriated or consumed locally. Only a smaller share is seen as adding to durable reserves or long-term productive investment.