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IMF reaches staff level deal with Pakistan to disburse $1.1bn

 Published: 14:19, 20 March 2024

IMF reaches staff level deal with Pakistan to disburse $1.1bn

Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday reached a staff level agreement which, if approved by its board, will disburse $1.1bn for the debt-ridden South Asian economy, the global lender said.

The funds are the final tranche of a last-gasp rescue package Pakistan had secured last summer, which averted a sovereign debt default, reports Reuters.

The IMF mission held meetings with Pakistani officials in Islamabad during a five-day visit to review the fiscal consolidation benchmarks set for the loan.

The review talks were concluded late on Tuesday.

"The IMF team has reached a staff-level agreement with the Pakistani authorities on the second and final review of Pakistan's stabilisation programme supported by the IMF's $3bn (SDR2,250 million) SBA approved in January 2024," the IMF said in a statement.

"This agreement is subject to approval by the IMF's Executive Board, upon which the remaining access under the SBA, $1.1bn (SDR 828 million), will become available," it said.