Remittances grow 19.5%, hit $4.69b

Year-on-year comparison shows public turns a deaf ear to PTI’s appeal


Our Correspondent October 15, 2014
Remittances grow 19.5%, hit $4.69b

KARACHI: Paying little heed to passionate appeals by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, overseas Pakistanis seem to be in no mood to observe civil disobedience for now.

Despite Khan’s call to abandon formal banking channels for transferring money to their home country, overseas Pakistanis sent remittances amounting to $4.69 billion in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. This reflects growth of 19.52% as the remittances totalled $3.92 billion during the same three-month period of the previous fiscal year.



As part of his ongoing protest in Islamabad that began in the first half of August, Khan had urged overseas Pakistanis to send money home via hundi, which is the illegal way of transferring currency across international borders.

But the year-on-year comparison of data shows the public has turned a deaf ear to Khan’s appeal to dodge official money transfer channels.

According to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Wednesday, Pakistanis based in foreign countries sent home $1.71 billion in September, which translates into an increase of 33.7% on a yearly basis.

Inflows from Saudi Arabia have been the largest source of remittances so far in 2014-15. They amounted to $1.34 billion in the first three months of the current fiscal year. They are up 21.77% from the corresponding period of 2013-14.

Remittances received during the last three months from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) increased 31.54% to $1.03 billion on a year-on-year basis. Inflows from the UAE registered the largest increase from any country during the last three months.

Remittances from the United States and the United Kingdom were $235.99 million and $218.38 million, respectively. The year-on-year increase in remittances from the US and the UK has been 10.77% and 4.67%, respectively.

Remittances from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, excluding Saudi Arabia and the UAE, clocked up at $545.04 million from July to September, which is 21.89% higher than the remittances received in the same period of the preceding fiscal year.

Remittances from Kuwait reached $200.6 million while those from Oman, Bahrain and Qatar amounted to $165.61 million, $90.5 million and $88.33 million, respectively.

Remittances received from Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Japan and other countries during the last month amounted to $125.33 million, up 47.8% from $84.75 million in the same month of the preceding fiscal year.

In the last fiscal year, overseas Pakistanis sent home $15.8 billion, which was 13.7% higher than the remittances of $13.9 billion received in 2012-13.

People associated with money-remitting businesses had predicted that a majority of overseas Pakistanis would refrain from remitting money illegally in response to Khan’s appeal to boycott legal banking channels. Their expectation was because of the convenience and cost-effectiveness that legal money transfer channels offer to overseas Pakistanis.

The SBP offers banks a rebate facility through the Pakistan Remittance Initiative (PRI). Under the rebate scheme, neither the remitter nor the beneficiary is supposed to pay any remittance fee to the money transfer company.

The SBP reimburses the Pakistan rupee equivalent of 25 Saudi riyals to banks upon each remittance of $100 or more, provided that senders and receivers of remittances do not have to pay any fee. The bank, in turn, shares the rebate with its respective money transfer company as per their mutual understanding.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2014.

Like Business on Facebook, follow @TribuneBiz on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.

COMMENTS (35)

Reddy | 10 years ago | Reply

@Humza, you are right, majority of Indian professionals would want to work abroad because of higher wages and quality of life. But things are changing quite a bit, a lot of Indians are coming back because of improved (improving) governance especially in selective parts of major metro cities. There is nothing wrong in looking after yourself as long as you don't hurt anyone else and represent your country with dignity.

Nida Alvi | 10 years ago | Reply

The increase in remittances is a good indicator of flourishing economy of Pakistan, despite negative rants & the notorious call of Taliban Khan to the people to stop using Banking channels and send money through hundi. This is indeed a slap on the face of Imran Khan! The patriotic people of Pakistan have rejected his calls and are not giving him attention any more. The jewish lobby is doomed. Overseas Pakistanis are loyal to the country and to the government. Everybody has rejected the negative vibes of PAT/PTI & handlers.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ