Category: Business

Inflation Hits Marot Businesses and Consumers

Zafar Chishti

Inflation Hits Marot Businesses, Consumers Hard (By Sohail Siddique, Bureau Chief Bahawalpur Division) Bahawalpur: Growing inflation and continued fluctuations in the prices of essential commodities have severely affected business activities in Marot, while traders and citizens are facing increasing financial difficulties due to rising household and business expenses. Local traders and residents said frequent changes in petroleum product prices were also affecting the prices of food items, resulting in continued instability in the rates of various daily-use commodities. They said rising prices had not only disrupted household budgets but also…

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Why the Fed’s Credibility Is Being Tested Again

Kainat Rajput
Wall Street traders watching a screen showing the US Federal Reserve interest rate decision

A hold that didn’t calm anyone down Investors expected a quiet Fed meeting. They didn’t get one. Interest rates stayed unchanged, yet the aftermath produced one of the sharper reactions in bond markets this year. To understand why, it helps to separate what the Fed said from what the Fed meant. This explainer breaks down the decision, the dissent, and what it signals about US interest rates heading into the rest of the year. Background: how we got here Federal Reserve policy has spent the past several years trying to…

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SBP Bank Data Access Explained: How Pakistan’s New Data Hub Actually Works

Kainat Rajput
Digital illustration of a bank data hub linked to Pakistani financial institutions, showing SBP bank data access in practice

A quiet but significant change has reshaped how banking information moves inside Pakistan’s financial system. SBP bank data access, once blocked by strict confidentiality law, is now written into the Income Tax Ordinance 2001, and it is already affecting how banks report large transactions. Background Pakistan’s banking confidentiality framework goes back decades, built on laws such as the Banking Companies Ordinance 1962 and the Protection of Economic Reforms Act 1992. Those laws made customer banking records largely off-limits to outside authorities, including tax officials, unless a specific legal process was…

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FBR Orders Rs126 Billion Refund Payment to Traders

Kainat Rajput
FBR orders refund payment worth Rs126 billion to ease trader liquidity in Pakistan

Summary Pakistan’s trading community has received a significant financial cushion after the Federal Board of Revenue refunds process was fast-tracked following a high-level meeting in Karachi. The FBR has agreed to release Rs83 billion in sales tax refunds and Rs43 billion in duty rebates, taking the total relief package to Rs126 billion. The decision came after sustained pressure from the trade body FPCCI on long-pending claims. Background Pending refunds have remained a persistent complaint from Pakistan’s business community for years. Exporters and traders often report that funds owed to them…

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Fixed Tax Scheme 2026: What Every Shopkeeper in Pakistan Should Know

Kainat Rajput
Pakistani shopkeeper reviewing fixed tax scheme paperwork inside a small retail shop

A Simple Turnover-Based Alternative to the Regular Tax Return Small shopkeepers across Pakistan now have a second route to file their taxes. Instead of the usual income tax return, with its expense breakdowns and detailed documentation, they can opt into a fixed tax scheme built around a single number: turnover. The scheme has been rolling out through FBR outreach sessions with trade bodies, most recently in Lahore, where officials spent a session at the local chamber of commerce walking traders through how it actually works, line by line. Background: Why…

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Pakistan GDP 2026: Economy Hits a Record $452 Billion, But Growth Still Falls Short

Kainat Rajput

Fastest Growth in Four Years, Yet Below the Government’s Own Target Pakistan GDP climbed to a record $452.1 billion in fiscal year 2025-26, the largest the economy has ever measured, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey released by the finance ministry. Growth came in at 3.7 percent for the year, the strongest pace in four years, but still short of the government’s own 4.2 percent target set at last year’s budget. The numbers paint a picture of an economy that is recovering after several difficult years, even as it remains…

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Pakistan Eurobond Rate Today: Government Secures Record $3 Billion Bond Sale

Kainat Rajput
Islamabad skyline overlaid with bond market graph symbolizing Pakistan Eurobond rate today news

Dual-Tranche Offering Becomes Pakistan’s Biggest-Ever Capital Market Deal ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Eurobond rate today is making headlines after the government successfully raised $3 billion through a dual-tranche bond sale, its largest single transaction ever completed in the international capital markets. The Ministry of Finance announced the result on Thursday, calling it a defining moment in the country’s economic recovery story. Investor demand for the bond was unusually strong. Orders reached almost $6 billion, roughly twice the amount that was ultimately issued. Such heavy oversubscription is being read by analysts as…

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Pakistan’s $7 Billion IMF Loan: Conditions, Reviews, and When It Ends

Kainat Rajput
IMF headquarters building representing Pakistan's ongoing loan programme

Pakistan’s total loan from the IMF in dollars under its current arrangement stands at $7 billion, spread across a 37-month Extended Fund Facility that began in September 2024. Roughly $3 billion of that has already been paid out, with more tranches tied to future reviews. The programme is Pakistan’s 25th IMF arrangement since 1958 and comes with dozens of conditions the government has agreed to meet on a fixed timetable. Background The current Extended Fund Facility followed a nine-month Stand-By Arrangement that Pakistan completed in 2023, a bridge deal that…

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KSE-100 Falls 721 Points: A Closer Look at Why the Market Slipped

Kainat Rajput
Stock market graph showing KSE-100 falls 721 points amid oil price surge and inflation concerns

Summary After a brief pause in selling over the weekend, Pakistan’s benchmark KSE-100 index reversed course on Monday, closing 721 points lower. The decline was fuelled by a sudden jump in global oil prices tied to worsening Middle East tensions, along with growing worries that inflation at home is far from under control. This piece breaks down the numbers, the sectors affected, and what investors should watch next. Background Stock markets rarely move without a trigger, and Monday’s fall was no exception. The PSX had shown some signs of stabilising…

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Cotton Production in Pakistan 2026: Output Falls as Farmers Turn Away From the Crop

Kainat Rajput
Farmer picking cotton by hand in a Punjab field during the 2026 Pakistan cotton harvest

Summary Cotton production in Pakistan 2026 remains well below the levels the country recorded a decade ago. National output has slipped to roughly 5 million bales this season, and average yields have fallen to around 14 to 16 maunds an acre in many belts. Growers in Punjab and Sindh say better returns from rice and sugarcane are pulling land away from cotton every year. Background Pakistan was once counted among the world’s top cotton producers, with a peak harvest close to 14 million bales. That era is gone. Output has…

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