$1.3bn Eurobond maturity this week adds pressure on external payments, say sources
\n islamabad
\nPakistan has made arrangements to repay $4.8 billion in external obligations by June, including $3.5 billion payable to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through three different facilities, official sources told Geo News on Monday.
\nThe development comes after the federal government decided to return $2 billion to Abu Dhabi by the end of the current month. The amount had been placed with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) as a deposit, on which the country has been paying around 6% interest.
\nAccording to the sources, Islamabad also received assurances of more than $5 billion in financial support from two friendly countries to help manage its external financing requirements.
\nThe sources added that a $1.3 billion Eurobond, issued for a 10-year period, is maturing this week and will be repaid accordingly, adding to near-term repayment pressures.
\nIn the past, the UAE had rolled over such deposits annually. However, in December 2025, the facility was extended only for short durations \u2014 initially for one month and then for two months \u2014 reflecting tightening financial conditions.
\nThe sources said the UAE recently sought the immediate return of the funds amid the evolving situation in the Middle East following the US-Israel war on Iran.
\nEarlier, the UAE had agreed in principle to roll over the $2 billion deposit for a short-term period of two months after Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar engaged with the UAE authorities. The rollover was extended until April 17, 2026.
\nPreviously, $1 billion each maturing on February 16 and February 22 had been rolled over for one month. Another tranche of $1 billion is due to mature in July 2026.
\nOfficials said the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has placed a total of $3 billion with the SBP in three tranches. Two tranches that matured in January were rolled over for a month, while the third will be addressed closer to its maturity.
\nMeanwhile, the Foreign Office, on April 4, rejected \u201cmisleading and unfounded\u201d reports concerning the return of UAE debt, saying the repayment is a routine financial transaction.
\nThe FO said the funds were placed with the central bank under bilateral commercial agreements. The deposits demonstrated \u201cthe UAE\u2019s strong support for Pakistan\u2019s economic stability and prosperity\u201d, it said in a statement.
\nThe FO clarified that the government, through the SBP, was returning the matured deposits to the UAE pursuant to mutually agreed terms. \u201cThis is a routine financial transaction, and any attempt to portray it otherwise is erroneous and misleading,\u201d it said.
\nFor the current fiscal year, Pakistan is seeking rollover of around $12 billion in external deposits, including approximately $9 billion from Saudi Arabia and China \u2014 $5 billion and $4 billion respectively \u2014 in addition to the UAE deposits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
$1.3bn Eurobond maturity this week adds pressure on external payments, say sources islamabad Pakistan has made arrangements to repay $4.8 billion in external obligations by June, including $3.5 billion payable to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through three different facilities, official sources told Geo News on Monday. The development comes after the federal government decided […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":454709,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-540377","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n