News

Minister assures sugar industry of resolving issues

ISLAMABAD: Commerce Minister Jam Kamal on Monday met separately with sugar millers and ethanol manufacturers with the former seeking unrestricted molasses exports and the latter requesting that it be converted into a value addition before being shipped out of the country. The meetings held at the commerce ministry aimed at fostering dialogue and finding feasible solutions to the challenges face

SECP issues call centre guidelines for digital lenders

ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has issued guidelines to NBFCs involved in digital lending to ensure best practices in advertisements and call centre management. The guidelines were designed to prioritise borrower protection and to prevent deceptive marketing and unethical call centre practices. Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), licensed by the SEC

Power firms seek to extract Rs35bn more from users

ISLAMABAD: Continuing with perpetual electricity price shocks suppressing demand, the Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) has sought about Rs5 per unit increase in fuel cost adjustment (FCA) in upcoming bills on account of electricity consumed in February to generate another Rs35 billion for ex-Wapda Distribution Companies (Discos). The additional FCA demanded by the CPPA, 113pc higher than

Pakistan, IMF extend talks to conclude SBA review

With an apparent understanding reached during the final review of the $3 billion Standby Arrange­ment, the visiting staff mission of the Interna­tional Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistani authorities agreed on Monday to extend talks overnight to conclude the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies (MEFP). The fina­nce ministry had earlier annou­nced the schedule of rev­iew talks ending on M

Charting through uncertainty

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has begun his second term in office on a note of defiance. He successfully resisted the pressure and did not appoint family relative and party’s old economic guard Ishaq Dar as the new finance minister. Shehbaz Sharif has drawn the curtain on Ishaq Dar’s over quarter a century old claim on being the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s only choice for the position. Dar b