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MMBL Partners with VRG to equip non-smartphone customers with self-service banking Via the USSD channel

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan’s largest digital bank, Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL) has signed an agreement with Virtual Remittance Gateway (VRG), a veteran mobile financial services platform for banking customers, and Pakistan’s only commercial licensed Third-Party Service Provider (TPSP). Under this partnership, MMBL’s non-smartphone users will be able to use their bank accounts via Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) Channels. USSD is a widely accepted channel by customers for buying mobile bundles and checking prepaid balance amounts.

VRG, through its technical expertise, has embarked on enabling MMBL’s USSD channels, allowing MMBLs customers to use banking services 24/7 on their phones, that do not have 3G, 4G, WiFi, or Internet connections. With the help of USSD Channels, MMBL’s non-smartphone users will be able to check their bank balance, bank statement, transfer funds, pay utility bills, and recharge their mobile phone accounts without data or internet connection. The initiative will initially be piloted for a month’s period, followed by a commercial launch in January 2022.

Sharing his thoughts about the partnership, Ghazanfar Azzam, President & CEO MMBL said, “We are committed to expanding our financial services to a wider pool of customers by targeting the underserved segments of the society. Over the years, MMBL has successfully been able to reach millions of customers across Pakistan through its wide array of innovative products and services specifically tailored to promote financial inclusion for all. With VRG’s partnership, MMBL plans to revolutionize Pakistan’s banking sector by bridging the financial gap and eradicating all barriers to access digital financial services.”

Chief Finance & Digital Officer MMBL, Sardar Mohammad Abubakr said, “MMBL is dedicated to uplift the unbanked and underserved segments, particularly SMEs and women-led businesses, by providing them access to financial services through its expansive digital financial ecosystem. Through this partnership, we strive to accelerate further growth by merging USSD Channels with our tailored products and services that will not only enable individuals at a wider scale but will give them a chance to contribute positively to Pakistan’s digital financial ecosystem as well.”

Speaking at the occasion, Muhammad Salman Ali, CEO VRG said, “Customer centricity is at the heart of banking and this collaboration is a significant step towards digital banking making its impact bigger on customer experience across business segments. Providing Unified USSD service to access banking will not only enhance the customer experience but also augment MMBL’s digital footprint to reach customers who were previously out of the digital banking net.”

Mobilink Microfinance Bank is committed to leading digital banking initiatives across the country. The bank is promoting financial inclusion by providing innovative, convenient, and accessible digital financial solutions to the masses.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) In order to consolidate the Punjab government’s endeavours to ensure sustainable economic development, the TVET Sector Support Programme (SSP) has launched a special initiative to assist 15,000 local individuals including the Pakistanis returning from foreign countries to gain socio-economic settling.

Under this formally launched initiative ‘Reintegration of Returnees in Pakistan’ these 15,000 individuals will include 6,500 returnees from Germany, Europe and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries through various support measures including career and entrepreneurship advisory services, Competency-based Training & Assessments (CBT&A), recognition of prior learning, and employment promotion.

The TVET SSP is funded by the European Union, Germany and the Norwegian Embassy. The reintegration measures for resettlement of Pakistanis returning voluntarily from GCC countries, Europe and Germany are supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The programme is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in partnership with the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC)in close collaboration with the provincial Technical Education and Vocational Training Authorities (TEVTAs) and several not-for-profit, public and private sector organizations.

The ceremony also saw the participation from representatives of various stakeholders of the TVET sector including the Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC), the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Lahore Division), the Punjab Skills Development Fund (PSDF), and World Wide Fund Pakistan (WWF).

The ‘Reintegration of Returnees’ initiative will support Pakistani returnees and the local communities (non-returnees) by offering them quick and effective start-up opportunities, especially in Punjab, as this region is most affected by return migration.

At the occasion, the TVET SSP and the Punjab Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (TEVTA) signed a partnership agreement.
Chairperson Punjab TEVTA Ali Salman Siddique, Director General Punjab National Vocational and Technical Testing Commission (NAVTTC) Mujeeb Ur Rehman, and Head of TVET SSP, GIZ Pakistan, Ms. Iris Cordelia Rotzoll were present at the signing ceremony. Ali Salman Siddique and Iris Cordelia Rotzoll signed the agreement.

The initial partnership will offer reintegration assistance to 425 returnees and locals through CBT&A and Recognition of Prior Learning. Additionally, 200 toolkits will be provided as in-kind support while training institutes in Punjab will furthermore be benefitting from labs upgraded with training equipment.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ali Salman Siddique expressed satisfaction to join this progressive initiative. He said, “It is of utmost importance to provide suitable training and skills development opportunities to the returnees, and I believe, such partnerships equip us to play our part in the process. Punjab TEVTA has been working in close coordination with the TVET SSP for a decade now and these new collaborations show our confidence in each other. Many workers from Punjab move to GCC countries in search of better work opportunities and when they return, they at times struggle a bit. Punjab TEVTA hopes to sustain this partnership and help the returning migrants in Punjab.”

In her remarks, Iris Cordelia Rotzoll also believed this partnership was an important step towards the success of this new initiative. “The German Development Cooperation considers the TVET sector as a crucial factor in the socio-economic development of Pakistan. The addition of the reintegration component is an important step. I believe returnees will benefit from it immensely” she said.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  Following the massive success of its latest series of smartphone in Pakistan, Infinix is bringing the biggest, most exciting treat for its valued users ahead for the New Year. Infinix ZERO X and HOT 11 series will now be available on discounted prices at both online and offline stores nationwide. The sale has already gone live on Infinix’s official ecommerce partner Daraz.pk and also on Xpark where ZERO X Pro, ZERO X Neo, HOT 11S, HOT 11, HOT 11 Play and HOT 10 are available on slashed prices.

Below is a snapshot of the discounted prices:

Handset Model	Original Price	Discounted Price
Infinix ZERO X Pro	PKR 51,999	PKR 49,999
Infinix ZERO X Neo	PKR 35,999	PKR 33,999
Infinix HOT 11	PKR 24,999	PKR 22,999
Infinix HOT 11 S	PKR 26,999	PKR 24,999
Infinix HOT 10 Play	PKR 21,999	PKR 20,000

The ZERO X and HOT 11 series have already garnered much praise since their introduction in the Pakistani market. Following are some excellent features these phones offer.

Infinix ZERO X series

Infinix ZERO X Pro features a 108 MP Moonshot camera with a 60X periscopic zoom, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS); ZERO X Pro can shoot everything easily no matter how far it is. While on the other hand Infinix ZERO X Neo comes with a MediaTek Helio G95 ultra game-play processor for a power packed user experience altogether.

Infinix HOT 11 series

Infinix HOT 11 is super-fast, with the MediaTek Helio G70 core processor and a 6.6” FHD+ color-accurate display. Infinix HOT 11 S includes an additional 50MP f/1.6 wide aperture camera and 5200mAh long-lasting battery, while the HOT 10  Play features a 6000mAh power marathon battery enough to last all day long.

Do not miss the chances to avail the fabulous discount this December on tailored Infinix devices, and add delight to this festive season!

 

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan Advertisers Society (PAS) held its 24th Annual General Body Meeting on Friday, 3rd of December in Karachi. The AGM was attended by all the major advertisers of Pakistan. The Executive Director of PAS, Mr. Qamar Abbas, presented key initiatives of 2021 along with some of the important industry issues. The agenda for 2022 was also proposed to the members. This was followed by a presentation on the Effie Awards Pakistan by Afsheen Rizavi, project head and General Manager, PAS.

The AGM also marked the end of two-year tenure of the current Council and the Office Bearers. The elections for the new council were also part of the proceedings. The newly elected Council comprises of 14 members. Dr. Zeelaf Munir, CEO and Managing Director of English Biscuit Manufacturers was elected as the Chairperson of the Society. She is the first woman to hold this position.

She said “I am honoured and proud to be nominated as the first woman Chair of the Society. I strongly believe in the cause and the role marketing and marketers can play for a sustainable future that is diverse, equitable and inclusive, which will be our area of focus in 2022 and onwards along with some meaningful initiatives for the fraternity. I thank all my council members for putting their trust and faith in my leadership and hope to deliver on their expectations to the best of my ability”.

Khalid Farid, CEO Gillette/CCO P&G was elected as the Vice Chair and Farheen Salman, CEO, Ekaterra – A Unilever Tea Company was nominated as the General Secretary of the Society. In addition, for specific initiatives, Asif Aziz, Chief Commercial Officer of Jazz and the outgoing Chairman of PAS, was nominated as the Chair of the Govt. Relations Committee, while Faisal Rana, Director Marketing and Communication, Nestle Pakistan was nominated as the Chair of the newly formed Regional Committee.

Other representative members of the newly elected Executive Council include Ahmed Wahab Shah -The Coca Cola Co., Asiam Haq – Unilever Pakistan, Hassaan Serwani-PEL, Humayun Farooq-Reckitt Benckiser, Humayun Shaikh – Shan Foods, Khurram Koraishy – AlKaram Studio, Nauman Khan – Dabur, Sheikh Adil Hussain-Tapal Tea and Syed Usman Qaiser – Jubilee Life Insurance. The new council will start its term from 1st of January 2022. The AGM was concluded on a high note with Asif Aziz handing the Chair to Dr. Zeelaf Munir and thanking all the members of the Society and specially the Council for supporting him during his tenure.

He said “I would like to urge all the companies that are part of the PAS fraternity to keep lending their support to this industry body that we have together brought this far. For the companies who are yet to come onboard with us, I would say that the time is now for you to join forces and play your part in making Pakistani brands and communication stand out and shine across the globe.”

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)

Achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) depends on the effectiveness of governments and their management of the public purse.

There are important lessons to learn from the Covid-19 crisis for governments and the resilience of their approach to public financial management (PFM), says ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) in a new report Rethinking public financial management. Launched to coincide with ACCA’s annual Virtual Public Sector Conference (1 – 2 December 2021), the report explains that a government’s ability to do anything depends on the strength of its PFM system – how it prepares budgets, obtains financing, spends money, and keeps its accounts. And to meet ongoing challenges such as Covid-19 and meeting the UN SDGs, it’s essential that governments have the right, skilled people in place to do this very necessary work.

Alex Metcalfe, ACCA’s head of public sector and co-author of the report explains: ‘It’s a significant risk to a government’s success if it doesn’t have the right number and quality of public finance professionals. To benefit from their improved PFM systems, governments may need to make a significant and sustained investment in their PFM systems, and also in competent public finance professionals who will advise on future decisions.’ Gary Bandy, a PFM specialist and co-author adds: ‘Financial management is critical to the delivery of public services and sustainability of economies. The pandemic has led to lessons for governments about what did and what didn’t work as well as expected.

We offer recommendations for a way ahead as it would be a real opportunity missed to learn from the pandemic if governments returned to a pre-Covid status quo for their PFM arrangements.’ The report sought views of 1,500 ACCA members and affiliates globally, asking them how they felt governments responded to the Covid-19 pandemic and how PFM must now evolve to deal with future crises. Respondents also said that the four most commonly faced challenges by governments were: · responding to the financial needs of individuals and businesses (45%) · being able to transition to remote working (42%) · having the necessary technological/ digital capacity (42%) · maintaining accountability and transparency of government spending (41%) Respondents in North America, the Middle East and Western Europe were much more positive about the effectiveness of their public sector institutions than respondents from other regions. Looking at sectors, public sector respondents – 62% – were much more likely than those in the private or not-for-profit sectors (42% and 37%) to agree that their government had made an effective response to the pandemic. Respondents offered three main areas for development of PFM: · improving transparency and accountability of government spending · better prioritisation of resource allocation, and · intensifying the focus on risk management Relatively few respondents included tracking climate change as one of the top priorities for development, but governments must rebuild and manage the public finances in a way that contributes to the climate challenge. Alex Metcalfe concludes: ‘There isn’t a one size all approach tackling the challenges, and each government will have its own fiscal and economic issues to solve.

The path to return to the new normal will be different because each government is in a different place as a result of its Covid-19 responses. The long-term implications of Covid-19 spending – significantly increased government debt or other liabilities in most cases – means difficult policy choices will have to be made.’

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) GREE has just launched its new series of inverter refrigerators. They come in two designs, French door and side-by-side. This the first range of inverter refrigerators by GREE. The side-by-side refrigerator series is an innovative technological marvel which has state-of-the-art “no frost” technology. The refrigerator has multi airflow system for even cooling throughout the compartments. There are several smart functions that let you operate the refrigerator in a much more intelligent way for fast freezing and fast cooling. The ion deodorization comes in handy especially when storing foods with strong odors like meat and some fruits. There are 22 compartments to store all your food items and you can also control the temperature with the precise temperature control in the LED display. There is also door opening alarm and child lock present in the refrigerator.

Total no frost:                   

The refrigerator is no frost which requires less cleaning and maintenance. This feature also ensures that the temperature is the same throughout all the compartments. The various vital parts of this refrigerator do not accumulate ice on them.

Intelligent inverter compressor:

The inverter compressor ensures that your refrigerator uses minimum energy for maximum cooling. This is the ultimate energy saving powerhouse.

Multi air flow system for even cooling  

Multiple sources of air flow ensure uniform and quick cooling throughout the refrigerator giving each of your food item the uniform cooling it needs to remain fresh.

Ion deodorization

Unique feature of removing strong smell from foods guarantees that your food is sterilized and odor free.

Large storage capacity     

The refrigerator comes with large storage capacity to store all of your items. The capacity is one of the best in its class.

LED display and touch screen for precise control   

LED panel installed in the refrigerators give you accurate control and easy operation to manage your cooling requirements.

Crisper and drawer with slide rail

For easy access to all your fruits and vegetables, Gree’s new refrigerator range includes slide rails for convenience.

Cooling functions

With various cooling functions you can customize the cooling with one touch of a button as per your requirement. The refrigerator smartly changes its cooling setting as per your requirement through its wide range of presets.

Removable and washable gasket

 The refrigerator comes with removable gasket for easy cleaning of your refrigerator.

Adjustable feet for height adjustment

You can conveniently adjust the height of the refrigerator as per your needs and aesthetics.

Child lock

Keeps the panel secure from any kind of unnecessary changes.