Category: Business

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

TECNO, an innovative smartphone brand, has initiated a fun campaign on Tiktok with the hashtag #ColorChangingMobile. The latest TECNO Camon 19 Pro Mondrian edition features polychromatic isomer technology which changes its colors while exposed to sunlight creating a vivid light-chasing experience.

Many of the famous Tiktok Influencers like Areeka Haq, Haris Ali, Aiman Zaman, and Minahil Malik have taken the challenge and posted interesting videos on their platform. The Influencers are grooving in the chic costumes designed by the famous brand BTW in collaboration with TECNO to show off their transformation in a trendy style.

The widely accepted Camon 19 Pro Mondrian edition became the center of attention upon entering the market as the first color-changing phone in Pakistan. The hashtag #ColorChangingMobile was also rolling over social media since the launch of the phone and made the top trend over Tiktok.

Kelvin Zeng, the CEO of TECNO Mobile Pakistan was overjoyed on this occasion and said:

“TikTok is widely used amongst millennials. However, TECNO with its customized product ideas has always tried to develop a connection with them. This alliance of technology fusion with BTW is yet another effort to engage the youth and provide them with the best quality products.”

TECNO has a history of creating trends and collaborating on TikTok to engage its fans. #ColorChangingMobile has proved, yet again to be a successor of #ShowYourSpark and previous campaigns like #SparkTheSpeed, #TECNOSpark4more, #CamonShow, and more. So, wait no longer, upload your video to be a part of this fancy campaign!

The trendy platform Tiktok has always been a source of great entertainment for youngsters.  If you want to have the stylish fusion costume made by the collaboration of TECNO Mobile and  BTW, then follow the transformation video and upload it on your Tiktok with #ColorChangingMobile. As the campaign unfolds, incredible surprises await participants and fans.

 

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) Power supply to Karachi was restored in a phase-wise manner following a tripping in the transmission lines of the National Grid on Thursday. It had affected multiple cities across Sindh, Balochistan and Southern Punjab. KE’s network after safely being disconnected from national grid, landed in island mode post which KE through its own generation plants started power restoration within a span of an hour and half. 

KE teams began phase-wise restoration efforts with first priority to strategic installations such as KWSB pumping stations, Airport, and hospitals. Power supply was then gradually diverted to residential areas including but not limited to PECHS, Orangi, Lyari, Ibrahim Hyderi, Nazimabad, and DHA.

While KE systems remain stable, supply from the National Grid is partially affected due to ongoing technical constraints at their end. Per initial information, this situation may persist over the next 48 hours. To manage the constraints, KE may temporarily curtail power supply to industrial zones during nighttime hours to facilitate residential areas. Should the situation persist or intensify, the company may also have to conduct loadshedding. We appreciate the cooperation of our valued customers during this ongoing situation.

Whether in-person or online, cybercriminals target payments touchpoints with sophisticated fraud techniques

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)  Visa Inc. (NYSE:V), the world leader in digital payments, today shared an updated look at how fraud has evolved since the height of the pandemic, with criminals simultaneously targeting online and offline vulnerabilities as our daily lives return to a blend of in-person and e-commerce experiences.

“As in-person commerce returns to pre-pandemic levels, crooks are back to exploiting the physical points of vulnerability in stores, while continuing to capitalize on e-commerce through malware, ransomware and phishing attacks, among others,” said Neil Fernandes, Head of Risk in NALP and GCC regions at Visa.

Two new pieces of global research – the latest Visa Biannual Threats Report and an MIT Technology Review Insights study “Moving Money in a Digital World,” released on October 6in partnership with Visa – highlight new and returning threats to the post-pandemic economy.

Digital commerce, crypto users are rich targets for innovative fraudsters

Still, the digital commerce environment – vastly accelerated by the pandemic – remains the richest target for cyber criminals.

Nearly three-fourths of fraud and data breach cases investigated by Visa’s Global Risk team involved e-commerce merchants – often social engineering and ransomware attacks. Digital skimming attacks targeting e-commerce platforms and third-party code integrations are common.

These attacks shine a light on the need for stringent security controls on merchant websites and checkout pages, ensuring external code is not enabled in sensitive cardholder environments. In fact, 42% of respondents in the MIT Technology Review Insights report Moving money in a digital world | MIT Technology Review  say security measures are important for their customers, with 59% acknowledging that cybersecurity threats are the biggest challenge to expanding digital payments. Many are prioritizing advanced security capabilities like digital tokens (32%), artificial intelligence and enhanced authorization (43%).

Beyond attacks on traditional currency, threat actors are employing new tactics to defraud cryptocurrency users, including new malware focused on browser extension wallets for crypto users as well as innovation in phishing and social engineering schemes. Crypto bridge services are also a target.  From January through February 2022, three sizeable thefts exploiting vulnerabilities in various bridge services netted cyber thieves over $400 million.[1]

Protection Is Visa’s promise

While cybercrime persists, Visa has increased its efforts to mitigate fraud. Over the past five years, Visa has invested more than $9 billion on network security. Visa employs more than a thousand dedicated specialists protecting Visa’s network from malware, zero-day attacks and insider threats 24x7x365. Visa also deploys AI-enabled capabilities and always-on experts to protect its ecosystem, proactively detecting and preventing billions of dollars of attempted fraud. In fact, Visa’s real-time monitoring with AI blocked over $4.2 billion in fraudulent payments volume in the last 12 months, preventing many from ever knowing they were at risk of a potential fraudulent transaction.    

To read more of the Payment Fraud Disruption report, visit Biannual Threats Report (visa.com).  To read the full MIT Technology Review Insights Moving Money in a Digital World report, visit Moving money in a digital world | MIT Technology Review.

 

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Punjab Central Business District Development Authority (PCBDDA), also known as Central Business District (CBD Punjab), is committed in uplifting the economic well-being of Punjab and believes the youth to be the driving force of this commitment. The authority is working on the agenda of national development and the authority has initiated multiple projects for youth to polish their professional skills, as an affirmation of its commitment CBD Punjab, conducted its first-ever Development Discussion Forum called the “Dev Talk” at The Beaconhouse National University Lahore. The reason behind Dev Talk was to Involve the academia of Punjab to become advocates for ongoing projects of CBD Punjab and provide them with sought-after insights behind the creation of Pakistan’s first business district and development landscape in Punjab. The keynote speakers for Dev Talk were Executive Director Commercial PCBDDA, Mr. Mohammed Omer, Executive Director Technical PCBDDA, Mr. Riaz Hussain and Director Business Development PCBDDA, Mr. Ali Waqar Shah and Director Architecture, Mr. Sameer Aftab. Mr. Mohammed Omer Executive Director, Commercial PCBDDA, started the session by highlighting the core need for the establishment of Pakistan’s first and most anticipated business district. He told the attendees that CBD Punjab was formed by an act of Parliament in February 2021, to put Pakistan on the global economic map by attracting domestic and foreign investment for the development of Punjab. In his address, he stated “CBD Punjab is working on the business model to use the barren government-owned land for wealth generation to raise capital for the development of Punjab. We have secured an investment of Rs 58.89 billion in a short time span. CBD Punjab is a room full of opportunities for a secure investment in Punjab, it is a business hub that will reform the urban regeneration and development landscape of the province.” He further added that the vertical expansion of cities is the future, promotion of vertical architecture and modern urban planning is the solution to many problems. CBD Punjab’s core mission is to transform the future for a better tomorrow. Executive Director Technical PCBDDA, Mr. Riaz Hussain said “CBD Punjab is introducing new and modern construction practices. Infrastructure development is gaining pace day by day and soon we will witness some great architectural masterpieces in CBD Punjab. We have almost completed the base work for a state-of-the-art parking plaza along with that 25% of the infrastructure work is also completed. We have ensured that high-quality modern techniques are implemented in the district.” He also shed light on the issue of fire fighting in hi-rise buildings, water scarcity and the authority’s plan to counter them. He also told the audience that CBD Punjab is the only LEED-certified real estate project in Punjab. While talking about investment potential opportunities in CBD Punjab, Director Business Development PCBDDA, Mr. Ali Waqar Shah said, “Authority has successfully registered the project as an epitome of secure investment in the region due to its unique, favorable and endless possibilities. We have promoted vertical construction and high-rise buildings which no other real estate project has done. CBD Punjab is the face of the city and the center of attraction for domestic and international investors, with the expansion in the jurisdiction of authority to all over Punjab, we are no more restricted till establishing business districts. We are working on new business models like JV, PPP and REIT to get maximum investment for the development of Punjab. The session was concluded with a question-answer session which cleared many queries and ambiguities about CBD Punjab at the end of the session Executive Director Commercial PCBDDA, Mr. Mohammed Omer presented an honorary shield to Mr. Shahid Hafeez Kardar, Vice Chancellor Beaconhouse National University. The audience applauded this initiative taken by CBD Punjab and appreciated the steps taken by the authority for the development of the province. The attendees also emphasized that such informative sessions should be organized frequently as they are a fruitful source of passing on information about development projects in the region.

Pakistan (Nut Desk) foodpanda_pakistan, in collaboration with Chughtai Labs, recently held a breast cancer awareness session for its employees. Being one of the most prevalent forms of cancer especially in women, the purpose of this session was to educate and initiate healthy conversations around it. After the session, physical examination and 1-1 consultation was also held for female employees.

Discount vouchers were later distributed by Chughtai Labs, offering Mammogram screening tests at half the price.

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir) ABHI joins hands with Daftarkhwan, one of the biggest co-working spaces in Pakistan, to provide financial wellness, exclusively to its more than 200 resident companies with over 2500 members.

Daftarkhwan currently houses  2500+ professionals across 7 locations in 3 main cities across Lahore, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi. They are home to leading companies like Uber, Trella, Jugnu, Sadapay, and Tintash to name a few. Daftarkhwan provides founders and professionals with modern office spaces in premium locations, equipped with state-of-the-art amenities suited to every business need.

With the current sky-high inflation, prices have gone up across the board. Day by day it’s getting harder for individuals and businesses to operate with limited working capital, late credit payments, or salary delays. This is where ABHI steps in to provide relief whether it be a salaried employee or a business owner. ABHI offers a complete solution to promote financial wellness to companies within Daftarkhwan through their 4 main products – earned wage access, payroll financing, payroll processing, and invoice factoring.

On this occasion, Omair Ansari, CEO of ABHI mentioned, “ABHI is proud to partner with Pakistan’s largest co-working space – Daftarkhwan, to financially empower its 200+ member companies. The strategic partnership of Daftarkhwan and ABHI will prove to be a success and eventually unlock multiple opportunities to reach the goal of making Pakistan financially empowered.”

Saad Idrees, CEO, and co-founder of Daftarkhwan remarks, “Daftarkhwan has always focused on helping founders grow and scale their businesses. We are constantly looking for ways to improve the lives of our members. With many companies and employees across the nation feeling the effects of the economic turmoil, we are very excited about this strategic partnership with ABHI that allows our members to attain and maintain financial wellness.”

ABHI is looking forward to collaborating with multiple partners to boost access to financial wellness in the country.

 

Lahore ( Muhammad Yasir) Chairman Pakistan Hi Tech Hybrid Seed Association(PHHSA) Shahzad Ali Malik Monday urged the Pak exporters to fully explore the potentials of agricultural products to Chinese markets besides capturing untapped foreign destinations. Talking to a delegation of exporters led by Saddam Hussain Shah,he said there is a great potential in China for tasty fruits and hygienic vegetables which needs to be scrutinised to maximum extent and government is taking concrete measures to facilitate the pak exporters for getting more and more exports orders from Chinese importers.He said Pakistan’s trade surplus with China in agri products reaches $527 million which is to be enhanced manifolds in the days to come. He said Pakistan’s agricultural products exported to China from Jan to August 2022 reached $730 million with a year on year increase of 28.59 percent. He said Pakistan’s agricultural exports to China are expected to exceed a record high of $1bn in next three months.He said it’s good omen that Pakistan is working actively with its Chinese counterpart to boost exports of other Pak products and hoped to get positive feedback.He said $1bn agri exports to China is not matching with vast scope of Chinese markets.He said pak exporters can export their whole stock of fruits,vegetables,sesame seed,pine nuts and sea foods to Chinese markets to earn better foreign exchange. Shahzad Ali Malik stressed the urgent need for improving the quality of products in line with international standards to dominate the global markets.He said use of Hi Tech Hybrid seed for rice and maize will definitely boost their production besides increasing their profitability.He said guard agricultural research division with a national spirit,is providing free of cost technical services to all rice growers at their sites.

3rd BuiltByHer Hackathon concludes successfully

Developing disruptive solutions to build climate resilience 

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) National Incubation Center Karachi, in collaboration with The Asia Foundation, concluded the 3rd BuiltByHer Hackathon by hosting the top eleven teams for a competitive grand finale.

BuiltByHer is a 48-hour long hackathon that requires women lead teams to hack and find solutions to the most pressing issues prevalent in society. The 3rd iteration of competition focused exclusively on the issue of climate change and received applications from more than 130 teams to resolve the problem sets. After the three day hackathon that was held recently, 11 teams were invited to pitch in the grand finale.

After thoroughly assessing and evaluating the solutions, the judges identified two teams as winners of the 3rd BuiltByHer Hackathon, Bhaan led by Nayab Raza and She-Guard led by Mehreen Raza. The winners will receive a seed grant of PKR  850,000/- to grow and scale their solutions.

She-Guard is a biodegradable,  eco-friendly, and herbal treated sanitary napkins that has the potential to cater solid waste, serious health issues and environmental problems.

BHAAN, is developing sustainable and eco-friendly bio-fertilizers made up of freshwater microalgae with potential to cater food insecurity, energy crises and climate change.

Farva Minhas, Program Coordinator at The Asia Foundation, said, ‘BuiltByHer 3.0 is another successful collaboration between NIC Karachi and the Asia Foundation.

Through our work together we have been able to empower young women across the nation. Apart from the hackathon we are also collaborating with NICK for implementing ‘Impact Collective’ an initiative that will promote research based dialogue among the academia and policymakers on understanding ESG frameworks to build climate resilience in Pakistan.”

BuiltByHer was launched in 2020 amidst the COVID19 pandemic to identify STEM based solutions to empower women of Pakistan. The second built by Her hackathon was focused on STEM and climate change based issues, whereas the third BuiltByHer focusing primarily to address climate change related issues, a timely initiative given the impact climate change has had on the nation.

In the last three years the hackathon has created a large pool of female mentors, coaches and hackers who are constantly working to increase gender parity in the Pakistani educational and tech ecosystem. The hackathon has positively impacted hundreds of female entrepreneurs, innovators, and change makers who wanted to launch their own ventures aimed at creating a positive impact within their communities.

Sana Shah, Program manager NIC Karachi said, “Pakistan is going through one of the toughest times in its history, the country is facing catastrophic floods, and we can’t rely on conventional ways to address this problem. We are hopeful that the third BuiltByHer is going to produce hundreds of climate change activists that will educate their communities  and build climate resilience.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Sixth edition of Pakistan Industrial Expo 2022 is going to be held from October 15th to 17th 2022 at the Lahore Expo Center, co-hosted by the University of Sargodha and Everest International Expo with special emphasis this year linking the Industry in Sargodha with international players.

Over one hundred and twenty top industrial Chinese manufacturers will participate in this event showcasing mainly CNC Machinery, Construction Machinery, Renewable Energy, Building materials, Agricultural Machinery, Hardware, Bearings, chemicals, Auto & Parts and so on. Pakistan Industrial Expo 2022 is a unique exhibition showcasing Chinese products. The exhibition will use both “Online & Offline” methods. The products will be physically present at the booths set up at the expo site while B2B meetings will be arranged through ZOOM platform and assistant at every booth. In this way, the event would go on with a minimised impact of COVID-19.

All of the Chinese products have already been transported to Lahore. After the exhibition, all the products would shift to a permanent display centre located in Johar Town, Lahore. It is open to all businessmen and related manufacturers who can have an online meeting immediately upon request. Yousuf Fa, General Manager of Everest International Expo while addressing a press conference here on Monday said: “We attempted online-offline mode of the event in 2020, and it worked remarkably. After many successful stories, now we can easily manage and establish a high-quality B2B platform to boost mutual economic and trade communications.” In this way, Pakistan Industrial Expo has become one of the very few exhibitions which continuously held even during the hardest time of COVID-19.

Everest International Expo is a joint venture company of Pakistan and China, and Everest is practicing bilateral cooperation in its routine work. Everest regards strengthening bilateral cooperation as the first task. They are also a company with a sense of social responsibility. For accurate matchmaking between exhibitors and visitors, Everest also establishes a pre-registration system. All Pakistani businessmen are welcome to join. Prof. Dr. Fazal ul Rehman, Director Institute of China Studies, University of Sargodha said at this moment we are preparing youth by parting essential skills aligned with objects of Pak-China comprehensive cooperation and construction of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He said our vice chancellor Prof. Dr. Qaisar Abbas vision is to establish a liaison between industry and academia is essential for transforming the higher education sector into the industry and enabling it to compete on a global skill by strengthening ties between academia and industry Pakistan can also achieve economic prosperity he added.

Director Noon Business School Prof. Dr. Ghulam Ali Bhatti said at this moment the University of Sargodha is the first Public Sector University to join China’s Belt and Road Agriculture, Education, Science and Technology innovation. He said we started different business programs with the Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

 

• Carrefour brings ease for its customers with the opportunity to shop now and pay later.
• Innovative solution reflects the rising demand for payment flexibility.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Carrefour, owned and operated by Majid Al Futtaim in Pakistan, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bank Alfalah to launch its first ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ initiative. This first-of-its-kind solution means that customers with an Alfa account can now scan a product’s QR code to pay in instalments in-store without experiencing any price markup, affording more flexibility when it comes to check-out.

The agreement was signed between Imran Mansoor, Country Finance Manager of Carrefour Pakistan, and Syed Irfan Akhtar Gillani Business Head of Retail Central, of Bank Alfalah, at Carrefour Head Office, Fortress. The ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ service can be availed by all BAFL credit card users across all products and categories.

Umer Lodhi, Country Manager of Carrefour Pakistan at Majid Al Futtaim Retail, said: “We believe in providing our valued customers with an elevated shopping experience by offering a range of services and products paired with innovative digital solutions. With our ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ service, we are thrilled to support more customers with easy, manageable payment options – demonstrating our commitment to convenience and value. Our latest initiative in collaboration with Bank Alfalah has been designed for transparency and ultimate flexibility to protect the purchasing power of our customers in Pakistan.”

Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Yahya Khan Group Head of Digital Banking Group, remarked, “Bank Alfalah is committed to providing affordable and convenient services to its customers. Our partnership with Carrefour is yet another step forward in this endeavour. Through this collaborative effort, we are hopeful of creating a long-term positive impact across our customer base. ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ service allows consumers to make purchases and pay for them at a future date. This is not just an initiative but an experience that aligns with our vision of customer centricity, and focusing on providing unmatched services to give a great experience.”

The process to use Carrefour’s ’Buy Now, Pay Later’ feature is quick and easy. Customers can use the Alfa app to scan an item’s QR code, choose ‘Credit Card,’ and enter their payment information. After choosing their desired tenure, they will be able to pay in manageable instalments. The last step is to accept the terms and conditions, which maintain that the instalment plan can only be booked for the transaction amount of PKR 3,000 or above and for a tenure of up to 12 months.

In addition to the convenience of in-store shopping, Carrefour also offers its delivery service through the Carrefour Pakistan app and customers can use MyCLUB to gain instant discounts, earning and redeeming points. For further information, please head to https://www.carrefour.pk/mafpak/en/ to check out the variety of products available in stores.