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Pakistan needs $348bn for climate and development challenges: WB

The World Bank has estimated that the total investment needs for a comprehensive response to Pakistan’s climate and development challenges between 2023 and 2030 amount to around $348 billion which is equal to 10.7 per cent of cumulative GDP for the same period. This consists of $152bn for adaptation and resilience and $196bn for deep de-carbonisation, reveals the Country Climate and Deve­lopmen

‘Seismic shift’ to take interest out of banking sector

After challenging the Federal Shariat Court’s (FSC) decision on the interest-free banking system some four months ago, the government had a major change of heart on Wednesday, saying that it now wants to rid the country of Riba as soon as possible. In a pre-recorded video message, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP)

Stocks gain 191 points on expected $13bn from Saudi, China

The stock market opened the week in green owing to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar’s statement last week that Pakistan had secured about $13 billion in additional financial support from China and Saudi Arabia, analysts said. The benchmark KSE-100 index started gaining immediately after trading opened, rising to an intraday high of 351.11 points, or 0.84 per cent, around 10am. However, the market

Deepening crises

How bad will things get? What happens next? It is the question everyone is asking in the country following the assassination attempt on Imran Khan in Wazirabad last week as the former prime minister was leading his protest march on Islamabad to force early elections in the country. He and his party quickly blamed the shooting on an alleged conspiracy between the government and the military. Spo

RDA inflows for October lowest in almost 2 years

Inflows under Roshan Digital Accounts (RDAs) — a banking facility reserved for non-resident Pakistanis — clocked in at $146 million in October, a decline of 13.1 per cent compared to last month’s $168m and the lowest since December 2020, according to data shared by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).In December 2020, inflows had amounted to $140m. Meanwhile, 13,850 new accounts were opened in Oct