Category: Business

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) The globally eminent smartphone brand, TECNO held a splendid Valuable Partners Meeting 2022 at Falatties’s Hotel, Lahore. The event unveiled TECNO’s new Spark 8C smartphone and rewards for the best Master Dealers (MD) of the fourth quarter (Q4) 2021. Many marketing dealers, media persons, and tech experts joined the event.

The event was arranged by TECNO to join hands and lead the market in Pakistan towards greater technologies. The new Spark 8C was also officially unveiled and unboxed by Tech YouTuber, Bilal Munir from Video Wali Sarkar, live for the event participants.

TECNO gave away a net worth of USD 200,000 gifts among the MDs at this event. The Rewards for best MDs of Q4 2021 included Special Gifts for all, Motorbikes (51), Thailand Tour (36), Luxury Europe Tour (22), Loyal UK Tour (5), and Business Cars (10).

Adeel Tahir, Sales Director of TECNO Mobile Pakistan shared some insightful knowledge regarding the New Plan and Sale Strategy of 2022 with the audience. He said,

“We thank all our partners for being with us in our journey and trying to expand more in 2022. We are now one of the Top 50 Chinese Cross-border Brands, also China’s TOP 500 Private Enterprises, and have become one of the Top Influential Chinese Overseas Brands in no time. In Pakistan, we recently received the Brand of the Year Award 2021 award for being the Fastest Growing Brand of the Year.

As Camon 18 in Pakistan exceeded 200% getting the No.1 position globally, we are aiming for the High-end and Flagship market by launching Camon 19 and Phantom in Pakistan soon. Moreover, we have established a TRANSSION Pakistan Manufacturing Centre, a joint venture between Pakistan and China to manufacture 49 percent of its mobile phones in Pakistan in the coming years.”

He also added, “We shall be working more to improve the product experience, especially in design +OS; establish the brand image of ‘professional imaging’, ‘stylish design’ and ‘surprise experience’. Also, with our shop coverage increased to 96% across Pakistan,

we’ll invest marketing budget in Camon and focus on share improvement and countless other BTL investments.”

Furthermore, Kelvin Zeng, CEO of TECNO Mobile Pakistan, thanked all the participants for joining and shared insights on the next plans. He shared,

“Thanks to our partners for their work and I hope for a successful 2022 for everyone. We started with mid-range and budget-friendly devices in Pakistan, but are now aiming for the higher budget segments with our Camon and Phantom series. You’ll soon be able to get your hands on our Camon 19 and the latest Phantom phone in Pakistan. We believe in mutually growing so our success is in the success of our partners.”

In the end, a lucky draw was held for all the event participants, where people won gifts such as LEDs, Motor Bike, and TECNO Phones. There was also a musical segment arranged by TECNO. The UK Sahara band performed taking the event to another level with their lively and energetic performances.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Advancing its vision to empower societies across the nation, Telenor Pakistan has partnered with NovoNordisk to raise health awareness across rural Pakistan. Under the partnership agreement, Telenor Pakistan will educate its Khushaal Watan (mAgri) users  via SMS and Khushaal Zamindar live show to create reliable diabetes awareness, its symptoms and the need for referral to the doctor. In addition, Telenor Pakistan will create awareness about diabetes to users through its flagship rural health service Khushaal Sehat. 

Millions of Pakistanis, particularly in rural areas, are deprived of access to adequate health facilities, one of the largest barriers to healthcare. The unequal distribution of coverage contributes to disparities in health. For every doctor around the country, there are 1,700 patients in need of care. The Covid-19 global pandemic came as a stern wake-up call for the entire world, paving the way for telemedicine to make up for the shortcomings of traditional healthcare. Telenor Pakistan and Novo Nordisk are playing a pivotal role to ensure people have access to the best quality healthcare, now in the palm of their hands, empowering over 16 million rural customers through Khushaal Watan.

Commenting on the partnership, Chief Operating Officer Telenor Pakistan, Khurrum Ashfaque said, “The core purpose of our Khushaal Watan (M-Agri) portfolio is to develop it as a lifestyle digital platform of choice for agricultural communities, as we offer necessary tools for a healthier, more prosperous Pakistan. We’re committed to bringing benefits and solutions possible through our 4G network to every Pakistani. The collaboration with Novo Nordisk, a first of its kind, is a development towards the same aim, providing accessible digital healthcare solutions and information that contribute towards healthier lifestyles and consequently the economy.”

Present on the occasion, the General Manager and Vice President of Novo Nordisk, Rashed Rafique Butt commented,“Pakistan is now the 3^rd largest country in the world with 33 million people living with diabetes. This is a call for everyone to join hands and do whatever it takes to curb this unfolding pandemic. I am very delighted to announce that Novo Nordisk and Telenor have partnered for diabetes which will certainly help us to raise awareness and direct people to take preventive measures and seek consultation from the doctor whenever needed.”

Telenor continues to strive towards inclusion and innovation, and with the addition of Novo Nordisk to itsKhushaal Watan (M-Agri) platform, it has put forth the latest in a series of initiatives designed by Telenor Pakistan to create a better connected and healthier Digital Pakistan.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) The largest digital bank of Pakistan, Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL) is ushering in unparalleled enablement for Pakistani traders and merchants by allowing them to book inventory on credit, via their distributor. The latest offer, being introduced in partnership with AdalFi – a digital lending fintech – completely digitizes the banking experience of its business customers, particularly the micro, small, and medium business enterprises by manifold. 

MMBL is the first and only microfinance institution to offer merchant lending based on credit scoring. Under MMBL’s digital brand DOST, applications for distributors and merchants, retailers can book inventory through MMBL’s seamless digital banking ecosystem through competitive and flexible financing. This will enable merchants to grow their businesses, besides providing convenience through notifications and options to repay via Inter Bank Fund Transfer (IBFT), or over the counter/branches.
For more information on this product, please visit https://mobilinkbank.com/digital-banking/Dost-tajir

Chief Finance and Digital Officer, MMBL Sardar Mohammad Abubakr said: “MSMEs are the key to fostering economic prosperity and enabling a thriving environment for the country’s sustainable development. We are keen to use digital and financial technology to unlock the full potential of small and medium enterprises to catalyze a socio-economic transformation at the grassroots level. Growth trends during the pandemic indicate that MSMEs thrive on a digital model and our latest initiative is designed to sustain and further accelerate this growth wave.”

Salman Akhtar, CEO of AdalFi said: “We are delighted to partner with MMBL to enable real-time credit disbursement to MSMEs. Our Digital Lending Platform enables Banks to credit score MSMEs entirely, digitally, and unlock access to credit. This is the first of several lending products we are planning to launch in collaboration with MMBL.”

MMBL has an excellent track record of harnessing the power of digital and financial technology to aid the growth of small and medium businesses across the country. The bank has an added focus on helping to accelerate the growth of women-owned and led enterprises, in addition to businesses operating across Pakistan’s remote and hard to access regions. The bank leverages its grand scale digital financial ecosystem to support nationwide economic progress and development through a bottom-up development approach and has showcased enviable results for the past many years. 

 

Meezan Bank provides First-of-its-kind Shariah-compliant solution to Inland Bill Discounting Facility for Huawei Technologies Pakistan (Pvt.) Limited

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir)  Meezan Bank – Pakistan’s first and largest Islamic bank has successfully instituted an Islamic alternate to Inland Bill Discounting Facility for Huawei Technologies Pakistan (Pvt.) Limited – a first-of-its-kind transaction in Islamic banking industry, developed as a Shariah-compliant alternate to local bill discounting facility. The first drawdown under the facility was made against a deferred payment inland Letter of Credit (LC) opened by Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (Ufone) in favour of Huawei. The transaction has been developed by the Bank under the supervision and guidance of Dr. Muhammad Imran Ashraf Usmani – Vice Chairman Shariah Board, Meezan Bank, after a series of deliberations and persistent efforts.

On this occasion, Mr. Abdullah Ahmed – Group Head, Corporate & Institutional Banking, Meezan Bank stated, “Meezan Bank is pleased to offer yet another milestone solution for the Islamic banking industry i.e., a Shariah-compliant alternative to discounting of long tenor inland bills with provision of variable profit rates. We are hopeful that this solution will serve as a precedent for unique transactions pertaining to trade within telecom industry.”

Mr. Ahmed Ali Siddiqui – Group Head, Shariah Compliance, Meezan Bank, stated, “This endeavour of Meezan Bank displays its capability to develop out-of-the-box, innovative and Shariah-compliant solutions and reinforces its position as the leading Islamic bank of the country. We hope this solution will open a new chapter in facilitating trade among businesses and industries in a Shariah-compliant way and bring more businesses and trade into fold of Islamic banking.”

Lahore (Nut Desk)

ACCA Pakistan continues the momentum, converging thought leaders at “Pakistan Leadership Conversation 2022” to discuss key drivers for a Sustainable Growth for Pakistan.

Lahore & Karachi: ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Pakistan, in collaboration with SEED Ventures, closed a successful series of its flagship conferences Pakistan Leadership Conversation (PLC 2022) in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore respectively. The fourth edition of PLC centered on the theme “Rethinking our world: Sustainable growth for Pakistan” and brought together leading policy makers, thought leaders, corporate influencers, academia and business operators for a dialogue centered on the power of digital, sustainability/ESG, ethics and future ready workforce.

In Karachi, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Mr. Nadeem Hussain, Founder Planet N Group of Companies/Chairman Pakistan Fintech Network attended the event as Guest of Honour. Speaking on the topic of Accelerated Financial Inclusion, he said, “Digitalization plays an imperative role in enhancing social mobility and these shifts can not be made without understanding the customer need and creating the simplest customer journey.” Muhammad Ali Tabba, CEO Lucky Cement Limited as the Guest of Honour shared his thoughts on Opportunity and Size – Fast Tracking the investment landscape saying, “The distribution of energy, its mix and privatization is imperative for our growth agenda. Moreover, enabling make in Pakistan environment will help import substitution fueling employment, self-reliance and sustainable economic growth driven by exports. As a part of her keynote address, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Chairperson PSX and PICG spoke on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, while Re-calibrating our Practices for Sustainable Growth she said, “As Pakistan sets to become part of global economies through BRI / CPEC and export focused, strategy – relevance of diversity, equity and inclusion is extremely critical for all stakeholders to achieve the recognised global standards of performance and excellence.” The first session, titled, “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Re-calibrating Practices for Sustainable Growth” featured Ahsan Jamil, CEO, Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance; Farrukh H. Khan, Managing Director & CEO, Pakistan Stock Exchange; Maheen Rahman, CEO – InfraZamin Pakistan; Mohammad Shoaib, CEO – Al Meezan Investment Management Limited; Navid Fazil, CEO – Interloop Limited moderated by Sadia Dada, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, K-Electric. The second session was led by a key note address from Sadia Khan, Commissioner – Securities & Exchange Commission of Pakistan who shared her thoughts on the topic, ““Ethics, Technology, ESG – Accelerating national economic transformation”. She said, “”Ethical behaviour is at the core of good governance and sustainability. The importance of ESG and sustainability has been rightfully amplified in a short time with increased focus in the areas of financial reporting, investing and business practices.” Adding on to the guidelines issued by SECP on CSR, she added, “We introduce voluntary guides to enable good business practices that add value to the community”. The talk was moderated by Hena Sadiq, Partner Audit and Assurance – Yousuf Adil Chartered Accountants; Rana Nadeem, Partner – KPMG Taseer Hadi & Co.; Saquib Ahmad, Country Managing Director – SAP Pakistan; Shahzad Shahid, Group CEO – TPS Online; Zeeshan Shahid, Director Risk and Compliance – BYKEA Mr. Sharif Tabbani, Owner & Principal – Tabbani’s School of Accountancy also joined the event and spoke on the Talent, Technology & Transformation.

In Lahore, Salman Shah, Advisor to the Chief Minister of Punjab on Economic Affairs and Planning & Development attended the event as the Guest of Honour. Speaking on the topic, “Re-thinking Sustainable Investment Landscape in Pakistan”, he said, “Government has shifted greater focus on sustainable development and enabling upskilling of businesses to benefit from e-market places like Amazon and Ali Baba. Clean and renewable energy is another imperative to the growth of our economy”. He further added, “Creating business hubs in Punjab with demographic sectoral focus is a key government priority to help create job opportunities, enhance economic activity and increase exports”. Also present as the Guest of Honour was Hashim Jawan Bakht, Finance Minister, Government of Punjab who shared his thoughts on – Talent, Technology & Transformation, he said, “Sustainable and inclusive economic growth is dependent upon agile, data driven and resilient government decision making. Recent policy improvements for technology sector is set to help bring in valuable foreign exchange. We must continue focus on digitalization and amplify ease of doing business to sustain the growth momentum”.

 

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) The leading Chinese smartphone brand, TECNO has officially unveiled the new Spark 8C phone in Pakistan. The announcement was made on the official Facebook page of TECNO Mobile Pakistan and the phone is now available in markets nationwide.

Spark is TECNO’s entry-level to mid-range series phone with high-tech features. The all-new Spark 8C comes as the latest addition to the most selling smartphone series of TECNO. With Expandable memory, Memory Fusion Technology, Iconic Design, and a stylish Camera, Spark 8C gained a huge fan base even before its launch.

The new phone comes in two variants 4+128GB (PKR 23,999) and 3+64GB (PKR 19,499). With an 8MP front camera, 13MP Rear AI dual camera, 6.56” HD+ Dot Notch Display, 90Hz refresh rate, and 5000mAh Battery, Spark 8C comes as a competitive device in the entry-level segment. Moreover, the phone will be available in four aesthetically stylish colors – Magnetic Black, Turquoise Cyan, Iris Purple, and Diamond Grey.

This is not all, the new Spark 8C brings its users new innovative features such as Expandable memory, Customized Beauty, Rear Camera decoration and Fingerprint sensor design, SOPLAY, other special audio features, and much more.

Kelvin Zeng, CEO of TECNO Mobile Pakistan shared his view on the latest launch,

“We are happy to introduce this latest budget-friendly device for our Pakistani consumers. With every new Spark device, we try our best to bring an innovation that makes our device remarkably more valuable than our competitors. Hence in Spark 8C, features like Memory fusion, its iconic design, and the stylish colors are our effort to bring more quality in less budget.”

So do not forget to get this amazing device from your nearest retailer. For more, follow TECNO’s official social media platforms.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) The Board of Management, Quaid-e-Azam House Museum – Institute of Nation Building observed Pakistan Day at Quaid-e-Azam House Museum Karachi on 23rd March, 2022.

The Flag hoisting ceremony was performed by Liaquat H. Merchant, Senior Vice Chairman and grandnephew of Quaid e Azam, Ikram Sehgal, Vice Chairman, Commodore (R) Sadeed Malik and members of the Board of Management, Quaid-e-Azam House Museum.

A student band from Ida Rieu School for special children played the National Anthem while the Pakistan flag was hoisted. Patriotic songs were sung by the students of Ida Rieu School, Jinnah Foundation School, and Hamdard Foundation School. 

Addressing the audience, Liaquat H. Merchant said that 23rd March was a special day in Pakistan at par with 14th August. Mr Merchant said that the principles, ideals and vision of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah for Pakistan should always be kept in mind in order to achieve unity, faith and discipline. He encouraged students to read more about Quaid-e-Azam and understand his vision for Pakistan. Mr Merchant gave students copies of “QUOTES FROM THE QUAID” compiled by Liaquat H Merchant and the late Professor Sharif ul Mujahid and published by Lightstone Publishers.

Nadira Panjwani, a Member of the Board of Management spoke on the achievements of Quaid-e-Azam and the future prospects of Pakistan as a Muslim State. She presented students copies of “OUR QUAID” written by Amina Azfar and published by Lightstone Publishers. This book was the brainchild of Liaquat H Merchant and was a project of the Jinnah Society. Ms. Panjwani recommended that “OUR QUAID” be prescribed by the Sindh Government Education Department for use in government schools across Sindh. 

Amina Azfar said that she was pleased to write “OUR QUAID” for The Jinnah Society and hoped that the book would be widely read by students in Pakistan.

Ikram Sehgal said that, following the success of the Inter-School Declamation Competition 2022, the 23rd March 2022 event was also highly successful as it motivated students to attend, help hoist the flag and sing the National Anthem and patriotic songs. He advised students to read “OUR QUAID” and work hard to complete their studies and serve Pakistan to the best of their ability. 

Ikram Sehgal thanked Liaquat Merchant, Nadira Panjwani, Amina Azfar, and Ameena Saiyid of Lightstone Publishers for publishing this book as well as the teachers and students present. He further said that he and Mr. Liaquat Merchant, Commodore (R) Sadeed Malik and the entire Board of Management of Quaid-e-Azam House Museum under the guidance of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah will strive to make Quaid-e-Azam House an effective Institute of Nation building. 

The event was compered by Ameena Saiyid, a Member of the Board of Management.