Pakistan’s information and communication technology (ICT) export remittances — money earned when Pakistani tech firms sell software, services and related work abroad — reached $435 million in September 2026, the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) said. That was among the strongest monthly totals on record and underlined the sector’s growing role in non-debt foreign exchange.
Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said the September haul was the second-highest monthly figure ever recorded, only $2 million short of the all-time high of $437 million set in December 2025. He put year-on-year growth at about 18% and the month-on-month rise at about 10%. PSEB’s figures were in the same range: an 18.21% increase from September a year earlier and a 10.41% rise from August. Other official summaries have described the annual rise as about 19% and called September a nine-month high. The slight differences reflect rounding and how each statement was framed, not a dispute over the headline dollar total.
First-quarter surplus and export earnings
In the first quarter of fiscal year 2026-27 (July–September), PSEB said ICT exports totalled $1.246 billion and generated a trade surplus of $1.04 billion — meaning export earnings far exceeded related import costs in the sector. That quarterly surplus was 14.98% higher than a year earlier, PSEB said. Schehzad put first-quarter IT exports at $1.25 billion, up about 18% from the same period last year.
Why officials say the numbers rose
PSEB linked the September gain to a wider global footprint for Pakistani technology companies and government efforts to strengthen the digital economy. It said the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication is working to improve the sector’s access to international markets under the government’s digital development agenda.
Schehzad credited targeted incentives in the FY27 budget for exporters, and for the IT sector in particular, along with a strengthening digital economy. He said those measures were supporting exports, non-debt foreign exchange earnings, high-value jobs and closer ties with global markets. PSEB added that continued industry support and stronger overseas market access could help sustain growth.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- December 2025: IT exports hit a record monthly high of $437 million, according to Schehzad.
- July–September 2026 (Q1 FY27): ICT exports totalled about $1.25 billion; PSEB reported a $1.04 billion quarterly trade surplus, up 14.98% year-on-year.
- August to September 2026: Exports rose by about 10% month-on-month to $435 million.
- September 2026: Pakistan IT exports reached $435 million — second-highest month on record and roughly 18–19% above September 2025.
Aasan alfaaz mein
September 2026 mein Pakistan ki IT aur tech services se bahir se lagbhag 435 million dollar aaye. Yeh almost record level hai — sirf December 2025 ke peak se 2 million dollar kam. Pehle teen mahine (July–September) mein roughly 1.25 billion dollar ki exports hui hain, jo mulk ke dollar reserves aur skilled jobs ke liye positive signal hai. Agar yeh trend jari raha to software aur freelance/tech companies ke liye mazeed kaam aur foreign clients ka chance barh sakta hai.
