[1/2] Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets with managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, in Paris, France June 22, 2023.
Press Information Department (PID)/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoISLAMABAD, June 30 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reached a staff-level pact with the IMF on a $3-billion stand-by agreement, the lender said on Thursday, a decision long awaited by the South Asian nation, which is teetering on the brink of default.
The deal, subject to approval by the IMF board, comes after an eight-month delay and offers some respite to Pakistan, which is battling an acute balance of payments crisis and falling foreign exchange reserves.
"The new standby agreement builds on the authorities' efforts under Pakistan's 2019 Extended Fund Facility-supported program which expires end-June," said IMF official Nathan Porter.
Reporting by Jahnavi Nidumolu; Writing by Shivam Patel and Asif Shahzad; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Shehbaz Sharif, Kristalina Georgieva, Nathan Porter, Jahnavi Nidumolu, Shivam Patel, Asif Shahzad, Clarence Fernandez, Himani
Organizations:
Pakistan, International Monetary Fund, Press Information Department, REUTERS, Monetary Fund, IMF, South, Thomson
Locations:
Paris, France, ISLAMABAD, Pakistan