KARACHI: Rupee depreciated against the US dollar during the previous week as it lost Re0.20 or 0.07% in the inter-bank market.
The local unit closed at 278.95, against 278.75 it had closed the week earlier against the greenback, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
In a key development, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the SBP reduced the key policy rate by 100 basis points, taking it down to 12%. It was the sixth successive cut in the key interest rate since June 2024 when it stood at 22%.
SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad said “bulk of” Pakistan’s foreign debt for the ongoing fiscal year had already been paid. He said the country’s foreign debt that was due to be repaid during the current fiscal year was $26.1 billion.
Out of that, an amount to the tune of $16 billion in loans would either be rolled or repaid, according to Jameel Ahmad.
Meanwhile, foreign exchange reserves held by the SBP decreased by $76 million on a weekly basis, clocking in at $11.37 billion as of January 24. Total liquid foreign reserves held by the country stood at $16.05 billion. Net foreign reserves held by commercial banks stood at $4.68 billion.
Open-market rates
In the open market, the PKR gained 46 paise for buying and 38 paise for selling against USD, closing at 278.76 and 280.83, respectively.
Against Euro, the PKR gained 1.52 rupee for buying and 2.12 rupees for selling, closing at 289.40 and 292.16, respectively.
Against UAE Dirham, the PKR lost 2 paise for buying and gained 5 paise for selling, closing at 75.98 and 76.50, respectively.
Against Saudi Riyal, the PKR lost 1 paisa for buying and gained 5 paise for selling, closing at 74.25 and 74.75, respectively.
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THE RUPEE
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Weekly inter-bank market rates for dollar
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Bid Close Rs. 278.95
Offer Close Rs. 279.15
Bid Open Rs. 278.75
Offer Open Rs. 278.95
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Weekly open-market rates for dollar
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Bid Close Rs. 278.76
Offer Close Rs. 280.83
Bid Open Rs. 279.22
Offer Open Rs. 281.21
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Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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