News

Exports of services grew 4.6pc in July-September

Service exports grew 4.63 per cent in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, mainly driven by information technology. In absolute terms, exports rose to $1.69 billion in July-September from $1.61bn a year ago, according to the latest data compiled by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. In September, the export of services dipped by 1.73pc to $565.96m from $575.94m in the same month las

Incoming inflows yet to trigger rupee turnaround

The dollar remained unchanged at Rs227.75 on Saturday in the open market, unmoved by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s guarantee a day ago that the country had secured about $13 billion in additional financial support from two friendly countries, on top of assurances for about $20bn investments. However, dealers in the open market hoped the rupee would gain strength once the inflows began to land in

Elon Musk updates Twitter app to start charging $8 for blue checkmark

Twitter on Saturday updated its app in Apple's App Store to begin charging $8 for sought-after blue check verification marks, in Elon Musk’s first major revision of the social media platform. The change comes a week after Musk took over the social media company in a $44 billion deal. The billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of electric car maker Tesla (TSLA.O) cut half the staff at Twitter and h

A pie with many stakeholders

The proceedings and recent remarks of the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan in the Reko Diq case have not inspired confidence in investors. They are hoping for more informed proceedings and a meritorious decision that serves development goals and projects Pakistan as a viable business destination. Some former bureaucrats and economists advised the court to be mindful of the interests and aspiratio

The rise of Islamic fintechs

Over the past two decades, Pakistani banking has undergone drastic shifts. There were the good days when foreign banks could be spotted every few kilometres in the major cities, and consumer financing was all the craze. Then came the bad days and, with them, the defaults. Global players pulled out, and everyone flocked to lending to the sovereign. Amid these cycles, however, one trend had conti