Business
Remittances jump 11%, exceeding $23bn in seven months – SUCH TV
Overseas Pakistanis have expressed their confidence in the government by sending record remittances, contributing to a significant increase in foreign inflows.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan, remittances in the current fiscal year have risen by 11 percent.
In the first seven months of this fiscal year, Pakistan’s remittances have exceeded $23 billion, reaching $23.202 billion, the central bank reported.
In January 2026 alone, remittances amounted to $3.465 billion, reflecting a 15 percent year-on-year increase from $3 billion in January 2025.
Saudi Arabia emerged as the leading source of remittances, contributing $740 million in January 2026.
The United Arab Emirates followed closely with $694 million, while the United Kingdom sent $572 million, European countries $480 million, and the United States $295 million.
The growth in remittances during the current fiscal year indicates a continued trust of overseas Pakistanis in the country’s economic stability.
State Bank data shows that in the same seven-month period last fiscal year, remittances totaled $20.85 billion.
This year-on-year increase reflects both the resilience of the Pakistani diaspora and the government’s efforts to maintain stable economic policies.
The inflows are expected to play a crucial role in supporting Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves and economic recovery.
Business
Equity Mutual Fund Inflows Drop For 2nd Month, Fall 14.3% In January; Gold ETF Investments Double
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Except for the ELSS category, all the mutual fund categories receive net inflows in January 2026, suggesting a broader positive sentiment.
Sectoral and thematic funds saw a pickup in net inflows during the month, suggesting selective tactical positioning by investors toward specific opportunities rather than broad-based risk taking.
AMFI Data For January 2026: Equity mutual fund inflows witnessed a decline for the second consecutive month in January 2026 as markets remained volatile amid geopolitical and trade risks. According to the latest data from the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi), equity MF inflows during the month fell 14.35% month-on-month to Rs 24,029 crore.
Gold ETFs emerged as one of the top-performing categories in terms of investor interest. Net inflows into gold ETFs surged to about Rs 24,040 crore in January, more than doubling from Rs 11,647 crore in December, making gold a clear standout for the month.
As of January 31, 2026, open-ended equity-oriented mutual fund schemes had assets under management of Rs 34.86 lakh crore, significantly higher than the Rs 18.90 lakh crore managed by open-ended debt-oriented schemes, indicating that equity funds continue to command a larger share of the industry’s assets despite month-on-month fluctuations in flows.
The mutual fund industry overall returned to net inflows in January, with total inflows turning positive at Rs 1.56 lakh crore. This recovery was largely driven by debt schemes, which recorded net inflows of Rs 74,827 crore during the month after witnessing substantial outflows in December.
Investor participation was also strong across other segments. Hybrid schemes saw net inflows of Rs 17,356 crore, while “other schemes”, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs), attracted Rs 39,955 crore. Solution-oriented schemes posted stable inflows of around Rs 341 crore in January.
Himanshu Srivastava, principal research at Morningstar Investment Research India, said, “Equity-oriented mutual fund categories recorded net inflows of Rs 24,029 crore in January 2026, lower than Rs 28,054 crore in December, indicating a moderation in pace rather than any meaningful deterioration in investor sentiment. Flows remained constructive despite bouts of market volatility, supported by steady SIP contributions and continued confidence in the long-term structural growth prospects of Indian equities.”
The moderation in overall inflows was largely driven by cooling momentum in the mid- and small-cap segments. While these categories continued to attract healthy absolute inflows of INR 3,185 crore and INR 2,942 crore respectively, the pace slowed sharply compared with the previous month, reflecting elevated valuations and recent corrections prompting investors to adopt a more cautious and selective approach. Some amount of profit booking after the strong performance seen over the past years also weighed on incremental allocations, he added.
“Large-cap and focused funds also witnessed healthy traction in January, recording higher inflows compared with December. Both the categories garnered inflows of about INR 2,005 crore and INR 1,557 crore respectively. This suggests a gradual tilt toward quality, earnings visibility, and relatively stable portfolios amid an uncertain global backdrop,” Srivastava said.
Flexi-cap funds, continued to remain the largest category by assets and saw the highest net inflows in January at Rs 7,672 crore. This points towards investors preference for flexible investment options to capture investment opportunities across market segments. There was a moderation in flows however from December, possibly reflecting a wait-and-watch stance after sustained strong allocations in recent months.
Sectoral and thematic funds, however, saw a pickup in net inflows during the month, suggesting selective tactical positioning by investors toward specific opportunities rather than broad-based risk taking. However, the quantum of flows in the recent months has come down significantly.
“Except for the ELSS category, all the categories received net inflows suggesting a broader positive sentiment. Also, there has been a significant slowdown in the NFO activity,” Srivastava said.
Overall, the flow trend suggests that equity participation remains structurally intact, but investor behaviour is becoming more balanced and risk-aware, with allocations gradually shifting toward stability, diversification, and valuation comfort rather than aggressive positioning in slightly riskier segments, he added.
Foreign portfolio investors pulled out about $4 billion from Indian equities during the month.
The benchmark Nifty 50 and Sensex dropped 3.1% and 3.5% in January, while the broader small-caps and mid-caps fell 4.7% and 3.4%, respectively.
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February 10, 2026, 12:03 IST
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In exchange, Bangladesh has agreed to provide “significant preferential market access” to a host of American agricultural and industrial goods. These include opening up its markets to more US chemicals, medical devices, car parts, soy products and meat, said the White House.
The United States and Bangladesh on Monday finalised the United States–Bangladesh Agreement on Reciprocal Trade, wrapping up negotiations as both countries stepped in to strengthen bilateral economic ties. Under the revised framework, Bangladeshi exports to the American market will attract a 19% tariff, marginally lower than the 20% imposed in August and significantly below the original reciprocal rate of 37%. The agreement was signed by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Bangladesh’s Adviser for Commerce, Textiles and Jute, and Civil Aviation and Tourism, Sheikh Bashir Uddin, in the presence of Bangladesh Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman and Assistant US Trade Representative Brendan Lynch.
Key terms of the agreement
- Perks for Bangladesh: Washington will reduce the reciprocal tariff imposed under Executive Order 14257 to 19% on Bangladeshi goods. In addition, selected products listed in Annex III of Executive Order 14346 will qualify for a zero-tariff rate. The United States has committed to creating a mechanism under which certain textile and apparel products from Bangladesh can qualify for a zero reciprocal tariff rate. Under this arrangement, a yet-to-be-finalised volume of garments and textile imports from Bangladesh will be allowed to enter the US at the reduced rate. The permitted volume will depend on Bangladesh’s imports of American textile inputs, such as US-produced cotton and man-made fibres, effectively tying the benefit to the level of US exports.
- Perks for US: Bangladesh will grant wide preferential entry to US industrial and agricultural products, covering chemicals, medical devices, machinery, automobiles and components, ICT equipment, energy supplies, soy items, dairy, beef, poultry, nuts and fruit.
- Both governments will seek to remove Bangladeshi non-tariff barriers affecting trade and investment. Measures include recognising vehicles meeting US federal safety and emission rules, accepting US Food and Drug Administration certificates and prior approvals for pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and ending import restrictions or licensing on US remanufactured products and parts.
- Bangladesh will enable trusted cross-border data flows, support a lasting WTO ban on customs duties for electronic transmissions, rely on science- and risk-based systems for safe American food and farm imports, open up the insurance sector, digitise customs and adopt sound regulatory practices.
- Commitments have also been made on labour. Bangladesh will act to uphold internationally recognised rights, prohibit imports made through forced or compulsory labour, amend legislation to secure freedom of association and collective bargaining, and tighten enforcement.
- Dhaka has pledged to maintain strong environmental safeguards, implement its environmental laws, improve trade facilitation at the border and tackle market distortions linked to subsidies and state-owned firms. Furthermore, the South Asian giant has committed to reinforce and apply comprehensive anti-corruption legislation.
- On intellectual property, Bangladesh will pursue tougher protection and enforcement, including ratifying or joining certain global treaties. It will also introduce provisions on geographical indications aimed at ensuring continued US market access, particularly for producers of cheese and meat that use common names.
- The two countries intend to align more closely on economic and national security matters, strengthening supply chains and innovation while working together against unfair trade practices, duty evasion, export control risks and by exchanging information on inbound investment.
- American agencies such as the Export-Import Bank and the US International Development Finance Corporation may, where eligible and in accordance with law, look at backing investment in priority Bangladeshi sectors alongside US private firms.
- The two countries also acknowledged recent and upcoming commercial agreements spanning agriculture, energy and technology. These include the procurement of aircraft, the purchase of around $3.5 billion worth of American agricultural commodities such as wheat, soy, cotton and corn, and energy imports estimated to be valued at $15 billion over the next 15 years.
Both sides said they would proceed promptly, following their respective internal processes, to complete formalities required for the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade to take effect.
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