Net foreign exchange reserves held by Pakistan's commercial banks — the second of the two components (alongside the State Bank's own reserves) that make up the country's total liquid FX reserves.
Source: SBP EasyData, monthly, net foreign exchange reserves held with commercial banks.
Pakistan's total liquid foreign exchange reserves are reported in two parts: reserves held directly by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), and reserves held by the country's commercial banks on their own books. This page covers the second, smaller component.
Commercial bank reserves are typically held to meet the banks' own foreign currency obligations — trade financing, foreign currency deposit withdrawals, and interbank settlement — rather than as a national policy buffer the way SBP's own reserves are.
Combined, SBP reserves and bank reserves make up Pakistan's total liquid reserves figure, the number most commonly cited (and watched by the IMF) when assessing import cover and external buffer strength.
Commercial bank reserves matter for the health and stability of the banking sector's own foreign currency operations — a shortfall here can strain banks' ability to process trade payments or meet foreign currency deposit demand, independent of what SBP itself holds.
Because this figure is smaller and more volatile than SBP's own reserves, tracking it separately gives a clearer read on where reserve pressure (or relief) is actually concentrated within the financial system.