Saudi Arabia to provide $4.2-billion support package to Pakistan

Pakistan’s currency bounced back on Wednesday to gain 2.48 rupees against the US dollar in intra-day trading, after long-time ally Saudi Arabia announced a support package of $4.2 billion, traders and bankers said.

The Saudi money will help Pakistan shore up its foreign reserves, which have been shrinking. The rupee closed the previous session at 175.60 against the dollar. It had depreciated around 13.6 per cent since May.

“The rupee appreciation is result of the Saudi funding announcement, widely seen as a positive surprise much needed to bolster the external account,” Saad Hashemy, executive director at BMA Capital, said. Saudi Arabia announced on Tuesday $3 billion to support Pakistan’s foreign reserves, as well as extending financing of oil derivatives trade for a total of $1.2 billion during the year, Pakistan’s Information Min­ister Fawad Chaudhry said.

Pakistan has been in talks with the International Mone­tary Fund (IMF) for the last two weeks to secure a $1 billion funding tranche, but its sixth review remained inconclusive. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan thank­ed Saudi Arabia. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has always been there for Paki­stan in our difficult times, including now when the world confronts rising commodity prices,” he said in a tweet.

In 2018, Saudi Arabia gave $3 billion in foreign currency support and a further loan worth up to $3 billion in deferred payments for oil imports.

Saudi licenses 44 companies to open regional headquarters in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia said on Wednes­day it had licensed 44 international companies to set up regional headquarters in the capital Riyadh under the kingdom’s push to become a regional comm­ercial hub and vie for foreign capital and talent. Among the 44 companies are multinationals in sectors including technology, food and beverages, consulting and construction including Unilever, Baker Hughes and Siemens, a press release said. The world’s top oil exporter and largest Arab economy in February said it would give foreign firms until the end of 2023 to set up headquarters in the country or risk losing out on govern­me­nt contracts. (Reuters)

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