Net Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Pakistan grew 41% during the first eight months of the ongoing fiscal year (FY25), clocking in at $1.618 billion, revealed State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday. During July-February FY25, FDI inflows were $2,295.7 million against an outflow of $677.3 million. Net FDI during the same period (July-February) of the previous year amounted to $1.147 billion. In February alone, net FDI amounted to $94.7 million, a 45% decrease from the same month of the previous year, when it stood at $172 million. On a month-on-month basis, FDI was down over 51%, in comparison to $194.4 million clocked in during January. During the first eight months of FY25, overall Chinese investment in the country increased by nearly 285%. China remained the largest investing country, accounting for 41% of the total share with a net FDI of $661.8 million compared with $171.9 million during the same period last year. UK emerged as the second-largest investor with a net FDI of $167 million, compared with $159.4 million during the same period last year, an increase of 5% and accounting for 10% of the total share. During 8MFY25, the power sector attracted the major share of investment i.e. 36% ($578.2 million) followed by the financial business sector ($466.4 million) and the oil & gas exploration ($196.6 million). The development comes at a time when the country is under an International Monetary Fund (IMF) Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme. Pakistan’s current account (C/A) posted a deficit of $12 million in February 2025, against a surplus of $71 million recorded in the same month the previous year, data released on Monday by the SBP showed. On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, the C/A posted a recovery from a deficit of $399 million (revised) in January 2025.