KARACHI: The country`s total foreign exchange reserves once again crossed the $23 billion level during the week ended on Aug 19, announced the State Bank of Pakistan on Thursday.An inflow of $467 million from the international financial institutions boosted the SBP`s forex holding to$18.187bn, while the reserves of the scheduled banks remained static at $4.894bn. The country`s total reserved stood at $23.081bn during the week.

The buildup in reserves was achieved through extensive borrowings from the international lenders and central bank`s dollar buying from the currency market along with savings from lower import bill.