Photo: B.alotaby / Wikimedia Commons ↗, CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
KARACHI, November 12, 2026 — Pakistan received US$3.89bn in workers’ remittances in October 2026, 13.8% more than the US$3.42bn of October 2025 and 8.5% more than September, according to SBP data released on November 10 and reported by Business Recorder, APP and The Nation. It is the biggest month of FY27 so far, and it came in the first month that counts towards the Pasban prize draw.
October 2026 remittances: the numbers
From July to October, inflows came to US$14.76bn, 14% above the US$12.96bn of the same four months of FY26, Mettis Global reported. July brought US$3.630bn and August US$3.656bn, as we reported in our FY26 remittances story. That leaves about US$3.58bn for September, which matches the 8.5% month-on-month rise reported by Pakistan Observer.
Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad wrote on X that “these sustained inflows are strengthening Pakistan’s foreign exchange position, supporting households and reinforcing external-account stability”, The Nation reported.
Where October’s money came from
| Corridor | October 2026 (US$ million) | October 2025 (US$ million) | Change on a year | Share of October total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 981.6 | 838 | +17.1% | 25.2% |
| United Arab Emirates | 815.9 | 703 | +16.1% | 21.0% |
| United Kingdom | 592.2 | 499 | +18.7% | 15.2% |
| European Union | 460.9 | not reported | not reported | 11.8% |
| Other GCC countries | 369.5 | not reported | not reported | 9.5% |
| United States | 328.9 | 301 | +9.3% | 8.5% |
Source: SBP data as reported by Business Recorder, Mettis Global and The Nation · checked 2026-11-12. The change and share columns are our own calculations from those figures, against the US$3.89bn total.
The UK grew fastest of the corridors with a year-earlier figure, and the US slowest. Saudi Arabia was up about 9% on September’s US$899m and the UAE about 9% on US$749m, The Nation reported. EU inflows rose about 3% from US$448m in September. Mettis puts Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain inside the “Other GCC” line.
What the US$45bn projection needs from here
SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad has raised the bank’s projection for FY27 remittances to US$45bn, up from US$44bn, saying inflows “are expected to increase further”, according to The Nation. Our arithmetic on the reported figures:
- After four months at US$14.76bn, the other eight months need US$30.24bn, an average of US$3.78bn a month.
- October’s US$3.89bn is above that pace. July to September averaged about US$3.62bn, which is below it.
- The same eight months of FY26 (November 2025 to June 2026) brought about US$28.63bn, the FY26 total of US$41.585bn less July to October’s US$12.96bn. To reach US$45bn, they need to grow about 5.6% this year, well under the 14% of July to October.
So the projection does not need October’s growth rate to last. It needs the months ahead to stay above last year’s by a modest margin.
Pasban: October was month one of the first quarter
The Pasban Remittance Reward Scheme started on October 1, 2026. On the terms reported in September by Dawn and APP, a beneficiary qualifies for a quarter’s draw by receiving at least US$100 in each of its three months into an eligible bank account or wallet. Cash over the counter and Roshan Digital Account remittances are excluded. The first quarter runs from October 1 to December 31, 2026, and its draw is on January 15, 2027.
What this means for you If your family member abroad sent October’s money for cash pickup, or sent less than US$100, the October to December quarter no longer counts for you on those reported terms, because each of the three months has to qualify. If October went into your account or wallet, November and December have to as well. Our guide to tracking a remittance covers what to check when a transfer is late, and the Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK and US pages cover the sending side.
