Business
State Bank’s reserves edge up to $15.91b | The Express Tribune
Central bank holdings rise $13m as total deposits reach $21b; 2026 starts with softer bullion prices
KARACHI:
Pakistan’s liquid foreign exchange reserves saw a modest increase in the final week of 2025, with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reporting a $13 million rise in its holdings.
As of December 26, 2025, the SBP’s foreign currency reserves stood at $15.915 billion, up from $15.902 billion in the previous week. Net reserves held by commercial banks dipped slightly to $5.097 billion, resulting in total liquid foreign reserves of $21.012 billion.
This brings the country’s import cover to an estimated 3.2 months, providing a stable buffer amid ongoing external payments and debt obligations, according to AKD Securities.
Over the past three years from 2023 to 2025, the SBP’s reserves have shown a profound transformation, moving from the brink of crisis to a position of notable recovery and stability. In early 2023, the reserves plummeted to critically low levels, dipping below $3 billion in February, barely enough to cover a few weeks of imports, amid high debt repayments, stalled external financing, and severe balance-of-payments pressures that brought the country perilously close to sovereign default. This nadir reflected years of structural challenges, including elevated import bills and restricted inflows, with import cover falling below one month at its worst.
The turning point came in mid-2023 with the approval of a nine-month, $3 billion Stand-By Arrangement from the IMF in July, supplemented by bilateral support from allies like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and China, alongside improved remittances and export performance. The reserves began a gradual climb, reaching around $4.5 billion by June 2023 and approximately $8-9 billion by year-end, steadily improving import cover and easing immediate liquidity risks.
Meanwhile, gold prices in Pakistan edged lower on Thursday, tracking losses in the global bullion market. In the domestic market, the price of gold per tola fell by Rs2,400 to settle at Rs454,562.
Business
Air India revises fuel surcharge amid energy crunch; here’s how much more you will pay – The Times of India
Aviation giant Air India group on Tuesday revised its fuel surcharge across domestic and international routes, as Middle East tensions continued to weigh oil supplies across the globe. The move follows the decision by the ministry of petroleum & natural gas and the ministry of civil aviation to cap the increase in domestic aviation turbine fuel (atf) prices at 25%. For domestic travel, the airline will replace its existing flat surcharge with a distance-linked structure. The revised domestic surcharge will come into effect from 0901 hrs IST on April 8, 2026, and will apply across the group, including Air India Express flights.As per the latest data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global average jet fuel price nearly doubled within a month, rising from $99.40 per barrel at the end of February to $195.19 for the week ending March 27, 2026.
Here’s how much more you will pay from Wednesday:
- Passengers flying up to 500 km will pay an additional Rs 299 per sector.
- Those travelling between 501 and 1,000 km will be charged Rs 399.
- Journeys of 1,001 to 1,500 km will attract Rs 549.
- For distances between 1,501 and 2,000 km, the surcharge will be Rs 749.
- The surcharge will further increase to Rs 899 for sectors beyond 2,000 km.
On the international front, the airline has introduced steeper revisions, citing the lack of similar price controls on ATF. Effective from 0901 hrs IST on April 8, 2026, passengers flying to SAARC destinations (excluding Bangladesh) will pay a surcharge of $24 per sector. Charges for the Middle East have been set at $50, while routes to China and Southeast Asia (excluding Singapore) will attract $100. The surcharge for Singapore stands at $60, and for Africa at $130.For flights to Europe, including the United Kingdom, the surcharge has been fixed at $205. Meanwhile, passengers travelling to North America and Australia will be charged $280 per sector, with these rates taking effect from 0001 hrs IST on April 10, 2026.
Why Air India introduced the surcharge?
The airline pointed out that the increase is not limited to crude oil prices alone. Refinery margins, referred to as ‘crack spread’, have also surged sharply, climbing from $27.83 per barrel for the week ending February 27 to $81.44 by March 27. This combination has intensified cost pressures for airlines worldwide. Air India stated that even after the revision, the updated international fuel surcharge does not fully offset the rise in fuel costs, and a substantial portion continues to be absorbed by the airline. The airline added that revisions for flights to and from Bangladesh, along with Far East destinations such as Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea, will be announced later, subject to regulatory approvals. Air India clarified that tickets issued before the revised timelines will not be subject to the new surcharge unless passengers make changes to their travel plans that require a recalculation of fares.
Business
Supreme Court: No personal oral hearing needed before labelling bank accounts as fraud: SC | India News – The Times of India
The Supreme Court, on Tuesday, issued a decision regarding the classification of bank accounts as fraud. The apex court ordered that banks are not obligated to grant customers a personal oral hearing before declaring their accounts as fraud. However, prior to labelling them, banks must provide customers with a forensic audit report.The ruling follows submissions made earlier this year by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and State Bank of India (SBI), which argued that conducting personal hearings in every case would not be feasible given the scale of fraud in the banking system.Earlier, appearing for SBI, solicitor general Tushar Mehta had told the court that the volume of fraud cases has risen sharply, making individual hearings difficult to implement. He said that introducing such a requirement could disrupt the process of identifying and declaring fraudulent accounts.
Poll
Do you agree with the Supreme Court ruling that banks are not obligated to grant personal oral hearings for fraud declarations?
The court was informed that around 60,000 instances of bank fraud were recorded over the past two financial years, involving Rs 48,244 crore. Breaking down the figures, Mehta said there were 36,060 cases in 2023–24 and 23,953 in 2024–25. The amount involved in 2024–25 stood at Rs 36,014 crore, reflecting a 194 per cent increase from Rs 12,230 crore in the previous year.A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K V Viswanathan had earlier questioned the absence of personal hearings, noting that such a step is generally linked to principles of natural justice. In response, Mehta maintained that banks do not offer personal hearings in these situations, as it may defeat the purpose of the classification process. He added that there could also be circumstances where providing such hearings is not possible.
Business
Stock market today: Nifty50 opens below 22,800, Sensex tumbles over 800 points as oil prices stay above $110 – The Times of India
Stock market today: Dalal Street opened in red on Tuesday, with benchmark indices slipping 0.9% as oil prices continued to rise and US President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran nears. While Nifty50 began the day below 22,800, Sensex fell over 800 points in early trade to touch 73,282.41. As of 9:20 am, Nifty50 was trading at 22,765.45, down 202.80 or 0.88%. BSE Sensex made slight recovery, down 694.03 points or 0.94% to 73,412.82.This fall comes after a sharp rebound in the previous session, when both Sensex and Nifty recovered strongly, erasing early losses triggered by rising crude oil prices as tensions continued to intensify in the Middle East. Traders attributed the rise to intense buying in banking and IT stocks, along with a strengthening rupee, that lifted investor’s confidence.During the volatile session on Monday, the 30-share BSE Sensex surged 787.30 points, or 1.07%, to settle at 74,106.85. During intraday trade, it had jumped 887.91 points, or 1.21%, to touch 74,207.46. Market breadth remained firmly positive, with 3,207 stocks advancing, 1,147 declining and 190 remaining unchanged on the BSE.The 50-share NSE Nifty also ended higher, rising 255.15 points, or 1.12%, to close at 22,968.25. Rupee, however, stayed firm on Tuesday, opening at 93.0025 per US dollar, rising 0.06% from its previous close of 93.06 against the greenback.In global markets, oil prices climbed while equities showed a mixed trend as investors assessed Donald Trump’s latest deadline for Iran to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz or face being “decimated”.West Texas Intermediate rose 2.6% to $115.34 per barrel, and Brent North Sea crude gained 1.3% to $111.24 per barrel. Across Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.2% to 53,323.41 in early trade, while Shanghai’s Composite index rose 0.5% to 3,899.09. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index remained closed for a holiday.In currency markets, euro weakened to $1.1530 from $1.1543 on Monday, while the pound dipped to $1.3216 from $1.3236. The dollar strengthened against the yen to 159.86 from 159.68. The euro also edged lower against the pound to 87.25 pence from 87.27 pence. In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 0.4% higher at 46,669.88, while London markets were closed for a holiday.
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