The companies listed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) have paid the highest ever dividends in calender year 2021 amounting to Rs499.84 billion. Spokesperson to Finance Ministry Muzzammil Aslam revealed this in a tweet on Monday, saying the amount of dividends remained 86.8 percent more on a year-on-year basis if compared with the calendar year 2020 when the amount stood at Rs267.608 billion. According to details, the commercial banks paid the highest dividend of Rs139.17 billion in CY21 out of 32 sectors. The dividends from banks more than doubled during the period under review, increasing from Rs64.251 billion in 2020 despite the pandemic when interest rates remained low. This was followed by oil & gas companies, which paid dividends of Rs71.127 billion in 2021 compared to Rs44.608 billion in 2020. The fertilizer sector stood at number three position with Rs59.01 billion dividend payment in 2021 against Rs47.96 billion paid during the last calendar year.