News

Another step towards a cashless future

“I’ve been bowled over by the response from users to the launch of Google Wallet in Pakistan,” said Chen Way Siew, Partnership Lead for Financial Institutions, Networks & Transit at Google. It was one of the top 10 downloaded apps on the Play Store in the first two weeks of its launch, he added in an email response. Since its launch in March, Google Wallet has been downloaded 552,733 times in P

Financial inclusion in bloom

Documenting history is unfortunately not one of the strongest suits of Pakistan, at least beyond the same old themes of security and civil-military relations. The lesser-known stories of social change, driven by technology and innovative businesses, hardly ever make it out in written form even though they may provide us with far more room for optimism. Perhaps we are so used to self-deprecation th

Perpetually caught between panic and paralysis

In Pakistan, past experience shows, every attempt at significant economic and governance reforms, which can inherently disrupt the status quo or challenge vested interests, must attract some kind of instinctive, ritualistic resistance from various sources: businesses, judiciary, civil and military bureaucracy, politicians, and even the public. Consequently, inertia has overtaken the moribund econo

CORPORATE WINDOW: Towards robust competition law

The laissez-faire economic principle implies that market forces of demand and supply coupled with the profit motive of commercial entities guide and determine economic activity, stimulate growth, spur innovation and reduce wastage of resources with a view to offering end consumers a wide array of choices available at competitive pricing. A fair competition is the natural outcome of finely tuned

Data centres and a digitisation opportunity

Pakistan stands at the cusp of a digital revolution. The government’s recent prioritisation of digitisation as a key lever for growth, development, and economic stability is not just a policy shift; it is an opportunity to transform how the country will operate, serve its citizens, and position itself globally. At the core of this transformation lies the need for advanced, energy-efficient, and se