KARACHI: Pakistan’s business confidence has risen sharply to +22 percent, an 11-point jump from the previous survey cycle, according to the latest Business Confidence Index (BCI) Wave 28 published by the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI).
Covering companies that account for nearly 80 percent of Pakistan’s GDP, the OICCI BCI is one of the country’s most closely watched measures of business sentiment, particularly among foreign investors and multinational firms. The latest findings of the survey suggest firms may be becoming more willing to expand operations, hire staff and undertake new investments, even as structural challenges persist. The survey also shows the services sector reporting its strongest score in eight years, signaling renewed optimism among firms after a prolonged period of economic strain.
The outsized jump in services and retail sentiment — alongside the recovery of non-metro cities from negative territory — indicates broad-based improvement across sectors and geographies.
“The results of Wave 28 point to a cautiously improving business climate. The performance of the services sector and the strong forward-looking expectations show that business stakeholders are reassessing Pakistan’s economic direction with greater optimism,” OICCI President Yousaf Hussain was quoted as saying in a press release.
