News

Review legal status of loan apps, SECP tells borrowers

The Secu­rities and Exchange Commis­sion of Pakistan (SECP) has advised borrowers to review the legal status of digital applications before signing up for loans, as Google introduced a new policy to protect Pakistani consumers from fake loan apps. After an extensive commission meeting, the SECP stated on Wednesday that borrowers should read and evaluate the disclosures regarding fees, late paym

Stocks fall on rising cost of doing business

The stock market closed on the lower side on Monday after recording range-bound trading for the third consecutive session. Analysts cited the rapidly rising electricity cost along with higher tax rates for the corporate sector under the International Monetary Fund programme as reasons for the drop in share prices. Arif Habib Ltd called the dip short term in nature while noting that the decli

A ‘crude’ game is afoot

An interesting tussle is on within the expanded Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the OPEC+. To some, propping up the market prices is of utmost importance, while to others, increasing their market share is of optimal interest. And the two objectives are diametrically opposed to each other. While Saudi Arabia, in conjunction with Russia, is striving hard to put a floor beneath the

LNG replaces oil as costliest source of power

The government has formally acknowledged that imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) has become the most expensive fuel for power generation in the country, even surpassing furnace oil for whose replacement the multibillion-dollar LNG infrastructure was set up in the first place almost a decade ago. In a major decision setting the reference power-purchase tariff for each month of the current fisc

Outstanding ADB transactions in Pakistan amount to $242m

The total outstanding balances and undisbursed commitments of the non-sovereign transactions of Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Pakistan amounts to $242.48 million by the end of 2022. The latest fact sheet on Pakistan released by ADB showed total commitments in non-sovereign loans, equity investments and guarantees from ADB’s own funds in 2022 amounted to $1.1 billion for 37 transactions in eco