Foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) increased marginally by $4 million on a weekly basis, clocking in at $8.022 billion as of March 22, data released on Thursday showed.

Total liquid foreign reserves held by the country stood at $13.428 billion. Net foreign reserves held by commercial banks stood at $5.406 billion.

The central bank did not specify a reason for the increase in the reserves.

“During the week ended on 22-Mar-2024, SBP’s reserves increased by US$ 4 million to US$ 8,021.9 million,” it said.

Last week, Pakistan’s central bank reserves had increased by $105 million.

In three weeks, SBP reserves have increased by $126 million.

In a key development this month, Pakistani authorities reached a staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the second and final review of the $3 billion Stand-By Arrangement (SBA).

“This agreement is subject to approval by the IMF’s Executive Board, upon which the remaining access under the SBA, US$1.1 billion will become available,” it added.

The inflow from the Bretton Woods institution will bring an uptick in the reserves and also prove to be a positive indicator for the country’s ailing economy.