Author: yasir

On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, Syngenta Group CEO Jeff Rowe had a one-on-one meeting with the Finance Minister of Pakistan, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, to discuss Pakistan’s agricultural priorities and opportunities for strengthened collaboration. The high-level engagement underscored Pakistan’s strategic importance as a key partner and potential hub for investment and innovation. Discussions included an exchange on Pakistan’s agricultural landscape, sectoral challenges, and opportunities to enhance productivity and long-term sustainability. Mr. Rowe reaffirmed Syngenta’s commitment to supporting Pakistan through technology, innovation, and technical expertise, aligned with national priorities for agricultural growth. During…

The Aga Khan University (AKU) has partnered with the Federal Ministry of National Heritage and Culture to upgrade the National Museum of Pakistan. The partnership was formalised through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at a ceremony held at the AKU campus in Karachi. The event was witnessed by Mr Aurangzeb Khan Khichi Honourable Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture and alongside senior leadership from AKU and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and other stakeholders. “Our cultural heritage is the bedrock of our national identity and a source of immense pride for all Pakistanis,” said…

Pakistan’s first digital Islamic banking platform, aik by BankIslami, has launched aikPay — Pakistan’s first Shariah-compliant Raast-enabled QR Payment Gateway. Built on the State Bank of Pakistan’s Raast infrastructure, aikPay enables real-time online payments through dynamic QR codes, allowing customers to pay instantly from their bank accounts and enabling merchants to receive payments securely through a smooth checkout experience. The launch follows an engagement session led by aik with representatives from the State Bank of Pakistan and Raast. The session was attended by Muhammad Imaduddin, Director of Digital Innovations & Settlement at SBP, and Ahson bin Saeed, CEO of Raast…

ABHI Microfinance Bank and Finleap Financial Services (Private) Limited have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at expanding access to digital loans and Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) solutions, a move that reflects a growing effort to address financial disparity and improve access to formal credit across Pakistan. For many individuals and small households, limited access to timely and affordable financing continues to be a barrier to participation in the formal economy. This collaboration seeks to respond to that gap by exploring technology-enabled credit solutions that are simple, transparent, and aligned with the everyday financial realities of consumers. Through Finleap’s…

Pakistan’s digital and IT services exports reached a record $4.6 billion in FY 2024-25, fueled by a maturing ecosystem of small and medium-sized enterprises, gaming studios, and service providers increasingly competing on global stages, according to Nagesh Devata, Senior Vice President for Asia Pacific at Payoneer. “Pakistan is becoming more competitive on talent and cost, and payment reliability is improving,” Devata said during a recent media interaction in Pakistan. “The momentum is no longer limited to a single segment; it spans software development, gaming, digital creative services, and business process outsourcing.” With over 5 million SMEs contributing nearly 40% to Pakistan’s GDP, the shift toward services-led exports marks…

At the Digital Pakistan session at Davos, Arsen Tomsky, Founder and CEO of inDrive, discussed Pakistan’s digital economy, its growth potential, and the steps needed to support the country’s transition toward an inclusive digital economy through fair choice. The session brought together a distinguished panel of speakers, including Maria Basso, Head of AI Applications & Impact at the World Economic Forum; Khalifa AlShamsi, CEO, e& life; Zarrar Sehgal, Chairman, Pathfinder Group; and Muhammad Salman Ali, CEO, VRG. Tomsky positioned Pakistan as a priority market within inDrive’s global mission to challenge injustice. “I believe that three assets make Pakistan especially powerful:…

Zong, Pakistan’s leading information services and technology innovation company, has reinforced its strategic focus on digital intelligence innovation and sustainable development by expanding its collaboration with Knowledge Platform. The partnership, now in its fourth year, was formalized at a signing ceremony held at Zong headquarters. Through this collaboration, Zong continues to scale its Digital Scholars Program, a flagship initiative designed to bridge educational divide through technology-enabled learning in the underserved communities of Pakistan. The program focuses on digitizing the learning experience for Grades 9 and 10, it has transformed conventional learning models by introducing interactive digital classrooms, gamified educational content,…

Pakistan’s leading digital microfinance bank, Mobilink Bank, has achieved ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification, which is a globally recognized standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) awarded to organizations that meet international standards for data security. The achievement demonstrates the strength of Mobilink Bank’s information security governance, its systematic approach to managing cyber risks, and protecting customer data through internationally recognized best practices. Globally, the ISO/IEC 27001:2022 is widely regarded as the gold standard for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an ISMS. The certification provides a structured, risk-based framework to safeguard information assets against evolving threats and ensures the confidentiality, integrity,…

United Bank Limited (UBL) has successfully completed a large-scale core banking data migration with AUTON8 in six months, transitioning data from Ex-Silkbank’s Temenos T24 core banking system to UBL’s Symbols platform. The program encompassed customer accounts records across 105 branches and was executed with zero critical data loss within six months, ensuring complete accuracy, reconciliation, and uninterrupted operational continuity. The initiative addressed significant technical challenges, including high-volume data processing within restricted banking windows, complex mapping across account structures, branch codes, customer identifiers, and GL/symbol hierarchies, as well as the remediation of legacy data quality issues. To accelerate repeatable conversion cycles…

The book building process of Pak Qatar General Takaful Limited’s IPO will start today and continue till 22nd January where high net worth individuals and institutional investors will subscribe to 75 percent of the issue size while the remaining 25% will be allocated to general public. Under the current offering, PQGTL will issue 30 million shares, with a floor price of Rs. 10 per share and a ceiling price of Rs. 14 per share. Of the total offering, 22.5 million shares (75%) will be allocated to institutional investors, while 7.5 million shares (25%) will be offered to the retail public.…