Pakistan’s IT exports surge to $413m in March 2026: SBP

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s IT exports surged to $413 million in March 2026, recording a 21 per cent year-on-year increase, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said.

According to the SBP, IT exports also rose 13 per cent on a month-on-month basis during the same period.

The central bank added that net IT exports stood at $360 million in March, reflecting a 16 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

The government has set an ambitious target of $5 billion in IT exports for the fiscal year 2026.

In a separate observation, the SBP noted that FY14 proved to be a relatively better year for the macroeconomic outlook, with visible improvement in the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

The report stated that inflation remained lower than initial projections, though it edged up to 8.6 per cent in FY14.

It further noted that the fiscal deficit stood at 5.5 per cent of GDP, lower than the revised target of 6.5 per cent.

During FY14, worker remittances increased by US$1.9 billion compared to the previous year, reflecting a rise of 13.8 per cent. This growth helped partially offset pressure from the widening trade deficit and other external account challenges.

However, the report highlighted that public sector enterprises (PSEs) continued to remain a fiscal burden on the federal government.

It also pointed out that several key targets were missed during the year, with real GDP growth recorded at 4.1 per cent against a target of 4.4 per cent. The agriculture sector grew by 2.1 per cent against 3.8 per cent, services by 4.3 per cent against 4.6 per cent, while inflation stood at 8.6 per cent compared to the 8 per cent target.