Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan’s cellular and digital services front runner, Zong 4G collaborated with HANDS to launch a tree plantation drive in the megacity of Karachi. The move is part of the company’s environmental sustainability efforts to combat air pollution in the country. HANDS is one of the leading non-profit organizations in Pakistan working towards improving health, promoting education, alleviating poverty, building infrastructure, and developing social institutions for community empowerment. HANDS’ strength is 13 volunteer board members, 10,000 workforce and thousands of community-based volunteers of more than 6,300 partner organizations. In a bid to fight the lack of trees in the city, Zong’s volunteers from the Karachi region participated alongside the children of HANDS School, Karachi to plant trees across different areas of the city.

“We realize that the city of Karachi has an unfortunate dearth of trees, a serious problem that needs urgent addressing. This collaboration with HANDS is a testament of Zong’s passionate commitment to environmental sustainability and creating a positive impact on the city’s environment.” shared Zong’s official spokesperson.

Also sharing his thoughts, Shaikh Maaz Tanveer, Head of Communication and Natural Resource Management Department, HANDS Pakistan, said, “We’re happy and excited to have collaborated with Pakistan’s telecom leader for the tree plantation drive in Karachi. We share the goal of fighting the adverse effects of climate change in Pakistan with Zong, and are confident that our volunteers will put in the best of their efforts to make this drive a success.” Besides leading the digital transformation in the country, Zong is also leading the CSR front in the ICT industry.

The brand stays committed to social empowerment and preservation of the environment, creating a better tomorrow for the younger generations.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan Cricket Board hosted the bid for 7th and 8th season of HBL PSL’s digital streaming rights in Lahore on 24th December with participation from extremely competitive contenders including Daraz, ASports, Geo TV, Trans Group and Tapmad. The winner of the bid, Daraz, leading e-commerce platform of Pakistan, had previously also proven to be a game changer with over 300 million views during the streaming of ICC T20 World Cup. The platform’s mission has been digitalization and it has been actively working towards building infrastructure to improve the growth of the country’s e-commerce industry.

Daraz also believes in making sports and specifically cricket as a force that brings users from every corner of the country together with free-of-cost streaming that no other platform offers. According to Pakistan Cricket Board, Daraz submitted the highest bid in accordance to the public tender process which was 175% higher than the previous years pertaining to the increase in digital players in the market.

Ammar Hassan, Chief Marketing Officer at Daraz, shared his excitement on winning the cut-throat competition, “we are proud to once again unite Pakistanis on our platform to watch their most loved national cricket tournament. With the support of our high technology and back-end support we are confident to provide access to every individual in the country. Our goal through sports partnerships is to provide shoppertainment to our users and make entertainment accessible through digitization to all.”

Daraz won hearts of the nation previously as well and is set to do so by winning digital streaming rights for the next two seasons of HBL PSL 2022-2023 as cricket lovers anxiously anticipate how this year’s tournament will pan out to be.

Mastercard Economics Institute: 2022 Economic Outlook Defined by Digital Resilience and a Return to the ‘Experience Economy’

 

• Shifts in household savings, economic growth and consumer spending on “stuff” vs. “experiences” are in focus as businesses continue to move digital
• Global economic outlook report was launched at Expo 2020 Dubai, where 192 countries are currently participating in the world expo

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Ahead of the pandemic’s second year milestone, the Mastercard Economics Institute released today Economy 2022, a global outlook for the coming year based on critical trends as seen through the lens of the consumer.

The report reveals how five fundamental factors — savings and spending, supply chains, digital acceleration, global travel, and a growing list of economic risks — will continue to shape the global economy.

Our key findings include: 

• Savings & Spending*: Consumer spending of built-up savings could contribute an additional three percentage points to global GDP growth in 2022. Household saving rates nearly doubled in 2021. How quickly or slowly consumers spend from their savings will have a ripple effect on the global economy.

 

• Supply Chains: A record-breaking 27-year rewind in the household spending shift from goods to services rotates back – already six percentage points below the peak. The pandemic sparked spending growth on goods from 39% to around 47% at its peak, roiling the services economy while burdening supply chains. With cupboards bursting, we expect the balance to normalize in 2022 as borders open and services become more accessible and desirable again.

 

•  Digital: 20% of the digital shift in retail stays put – reshaping how and what consumers buy. E-commerce subscriptions gained traction in 2021 as nearly 88% of countries across 32 markets saw a surge in subscription services compared to the previous year. Notably, car companies, virtual workout partners, bike rentals and pet services are among a slew of businesses benefitting from this model.
• Travel: Leisure travel recovery continues as international travel opens up, with medium- and long-haul flights to gain ground in 2022. The return to travel in 2021 was on full display on our roadways and in airports, but continued growth hinges on containing virus variants that drive travel bans. We saw a swift rebound in domestic and short-haul international travel (under 1,000 km), medium-haul travel (under 2,900 km) lifted by fewer restrictions, while long-haul travel trails behind.
• Risks: Risks remain with the potential to disrupt the global economy. New COVID variants like Omicron pose the biggest immediate risk, but we’re keeping an eye on nearly a dozen additional risks that have the potential to derail recovery, including a sharp recalibration of housing prices that have appreciated 66% over the past two years, a surge in oil prices, fiscal cliffs in advanced economies, and international tariff wars.

“The past year was not the return to normal that many yearned for, but collectively, we have made tremendous progress,” said Bricklin Dwyer, Mastercard chief economist and head of the Mastercard Economics Institute. “Globally, economic growth, vaccine advances, and digital transformations that have made businesses large and small more resilient, continue to shape the future. It is against this backdrop that we anticipate consumer demand — and spending power — to grow and the experience economy to reemerge next year.”

*Methodology

The Mastercard Economics Institute draws on aggregated and anonymized sales activity in the Mastercard network among other sources to develop a measure of the quantity and prices of goods vs services consumed for economies throughout the world.

You can view the full Economy 2022 outlook here. This is the third outlook report from the Economics Institute; other reports can be found here.  

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL) – the largest digital bank in Pakistan recently inked an MoU with the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) for capacity building and financing of micro, small and medium enterprises engaged in livestock and horticulture sectors across the underprivileged districts of rural Sindh and Balochistan. 

The agreement was signed by Chief Finance and Digital Officer, MMBL, Sardar Mohammad Abubakr and Chief Operating Officer, PPAF, Mr. Nadir Gul Barech, under PPAF’s Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress (GRASP) project, working to accelerate sustainable development in the region. Senior executives from both organizations were also present on the occasion.

Myriad enterprises are working at micro, small and medium levels in the country that have the potential to catalyze sustainable economic development at the grassroots level but they fall short of their goals due to lack of access to financial services. MSMEs based in rural areas are particularly unfortunate in this regard. 

Courtesy, MMBL’s expansive digital financial ecosystem, these MSMEs are now receiving timely financial backing to plan and execute their business decisions to attain their full potential for growth and sustainability. The bank’s digital financial ecosystem offers customized financial products well suited for each customer and business far across the country and is particularly supportive of the rural businesses and those owned and led by women. 

MMBL has financed thousands of micro, small and medium businesses across all provinces. The recent agreement with PPAF is also an extension of the bank’s long-term commitment to promote financial inclusion and equitable economic growth in the country.

Islamabad (Muhammad Yasir) Nova One Lahore launching ceremony, held at Islamabad Club on 22 December 2021 by Nova Developers & Management. 

Nova Group is bringing a high-end residential and commercial hub called Nova One. The project is a real estate marvel and the tallest building in Lahore. Many realtors, investors, and real estate representatives from all over Pakistan attended the inauguration ceremony. Also, the whole senior management of Nova developers was present at the event accompanied by Italian Architect Prof. Dr. Marco Casa Monti who has created Nova One architectural design. Wall Real Estate management and team attended the ceremony and congratulate Nova group on initiating a new landmark in Lahore.

After completion, Nova One will be the tallest development in Lahore, comprising 40 to 60 floors, with dedicated parking floors, luxury apartments, corporate offices, retail shops, basements, and more. Additionally, the project will host an abundance of luxury, recreational and dining facilities along with lavish hotels and gourmet destinations. Combined with the prime location of Kalma Chowk Lahore with a flexible payment plan, Nova One is a worthy investment place for potential buyers. 

While addressing the attendees of the event, Nova developers and management stated that how they are pleased to launch a modern and luxurious real estate development in Lahore with a focus on providing high investment benefits and ideal living to its residents. Through this project, the developers aim to bring incredible living and investment opportunities. However, Nova developers aim to build a remarkable living and business community never seen before in the history of Pakistan. 

LAHORE (NUT DESK) ACCA and The Institute of Internal Auditors renew MOU A memorandum of understanding (MOU) renewal has been signed between ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and The IIA (the Institute of Internal Auditors). The three-year agreement will further strengthen and extend the current cooperation agreement and allows both bodies to continue to work closely together to advance their respective professions.

The MOU was signed by ACCA’s chief executive Helen Brand OBE and IIA president and chief executive Anthony Pugliese, CIA, CPA, CGMA, CITP. Under the terms of the agreement, ACCA and The IIA will focus on advancing the careers of members, enhancing governance practices and serving the public interest.

Helen Brand, chief executive of ACCA, said: ‘We’re delighted to be signing this new MOU with The IIA. We believe that we can develop research together that resonates with a global audience of finance professionals across different disciplines.

We already have strong links with The IIA and we look forward strengthening those in a range of areas for the benefit of our memberships.’ Anthony Pugliese, president and chief executive officer of The IIA, said: ‘This MOU builds on an already strong working relationship with ACCA. We look forward to our ongoing collaboration together. Internal audit plays a vital role in providing the independent, internal assurance that supports all types of external disclosures, so our global organisations represent complementary functions in many areas.’ The organisations will cooperate on research and thought leadership on topics such as diversity, governance, cybersecurity and ESG (environmental, social and governance).

Both organizations are collaborating on a Professional Insights report to be released next year. They will also evaluate opportunities to work together on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Both parties are also going to continue to collaborate on a range of activity to benefit their memberships in markets where they already work together, as well as other markets. ACCA and The IIA have been collaborating for a number of years in offering a challenge exam to ACCA members so they can receive The IIA’s prestigious Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation.

The CIA is the only globally recognised certification for internal audit practitioners. Since 2015, more than 5,000 ACCA members sat for the CIA challenge exam. The IIA is willing to make this opportunity available to qualified ACCA members because earning the CIA represents an important level of achievement for individuals practicing internal auditing. The parties will advocate for each other’s qualifications and use their own channels to promote their partnership, such as member magazines and social media posts.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) TPL Trakker, Pakistan’s leading mapping, tracking and IoT services provider, has partnered to provide a comprehensive and personalized fleet management solution to K-Electric encompassing mapping and tracking for all their vehicles. The sophisticated system is a significant milestone for KE in streamlining its operations while it showcases the technological prowess that TPL Trakker possesses in delivering high value solutions to its customers across a diverse range of fields.

K-Electric is the sole power utility for Karachi that also supplies electricity to other parts of Sindh and Balochistan such as Dhabeji, Gharo, Bela, Uthal, and Vinder. The organization has a vast fleet of service vehicles, nearly 1,000 in number, that carries out maintenance and repair work to maintain its infrastructure.

TPL Trakker is Pakistan’s premier mapping as well as tracking solutions provider that specializes in tactful management of technological sophistication in order to provide high quality services to its dynamic customers. Through the newly established partnership between KE and TPL Trakker, the latter will provide a wide range of services for KE’s fleet that will enable telematics and visualization for all the vehicles.

The Personalized Vehicle Tracking & Management System App exclusively designed & developed for KE, offers a customized dashboard for real-time statuses of vehicle’s trips and breadcrumb replay. The service end of this partnership includes monthly and weekly reports from TPL Trakker along with a portal that offers real-time data with the help of graphical analysis, hierarchy wise selection, vehicle KM calculation violations, and a number of other features. The system also has an accompanying application for Android and iOS which offers the convenience of viewing same insights on smartphones.

Commenting on the development, Sarwar Ali Khan, CEO TPL Trakker stated; “For more than 2 decades, TPL Trakker has been revolutionizing Pakistan’s mapping and telematics segment through its technological prowess and has the ability to understand the local market and its challenges. With an unfaltering commitment towards innovation, we continue to deliver unprecedented solutions for our customers. This partnership with KE symbolizes our competence and expertise to enable various organizations in streamlining their existing supply chains for smooth delivery of services to customers.”

Expressing his opinion on the partnership, Imran Rana, Director Communications at K-Electric said, “Customer centricity has always been at the heart of our core business philosophy. At KE, we are constantly looking for new ways to further enrich our customer experience, and collaboration with TPL Trakker is another milestone towards achieving it. Through this partnership, K-Electric’s fleet management system will become more efficient which in turn, will reduce our complaint resolution timeframe as well as optimize our maintenance operations.”

TPL Trakker is empowering organizations in the energy, food delivery, ride hailing, banking, insurance and a wide variety of other industries through state-of-the-art asset tracking services for the past 19 years.

K-Electric (KE) has powered Karachi for over one hundred years. Through a network spanning across 6,500 square kilometers, KE supplies power to all residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural areas that fall under the city’s ambit and beyond, serving over 3.5 million customers across Karachi, Dhabeji and Gharo in Sindh, and Uthal, Vinder and Bela in Balochistan.

KE is the only vertically-integrated power utility in Pakistan, which means the organization manages all three key areas – Generation, Transmission and Distribution – of producing and delivering energy to consumers.

 

Telenor Pakistan welcomes tech leaders from the United States to discuss the collaborative digital potential in the country

Islamabad (Muhammad Yasir)  Fortifying its commitment to empower societies across the nation, Telenor Pakistan welcomed Pak Seattle Tech Connections, a community of entrepreneurs and professionals from Seattle to its 345 campus. The delegation comprised of leaders and senior resources from tech giants like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Oracle other companies along with some successful tech entrepreneurs. The purpose of this visit was to engage in a fruitful dialogue on the significance of partnerships and how technology can empower societies.

Pak Seattle Tech Connections visited Pakistan for the second time this year for a better understanding of the Pakistani technology sector and to explore future collaborative opportunities. These delegates were briefed about Telenor Pakistan’s efforts in revolutionizing the telecommunication, digital and financial sector of the country by introducing innovative technologies to enhance customer experiences. As a result of their previous visit earlier in July this year, a number of promising tech collaborations have already taken form, and stakeholders expect many more to come.

Speaking on the significance of the delegation’s second visit, Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO Telenor Pakistan, commented, “It’s a great pleasure for us, at Telenor Pakistan, to once again welcome Pak Seattle Tech Connections to Islamabad and a joy to see the two countries’ tech leaders building bridges that enable collaboration, empower the people, and strengthen the economy. This unique opportunity allows us to share ideas and leverage on digital technologies to create a socioeconomic impact, and we look forward to making the Digital Pakistan vision a reality and to see more similar teamwork in the coming years.”

The delegation included Taimur Rashid from Redis, Adnan Ijaz, Nauman Khan, and Rasim Bokhari from Amazon Web Services, Fahim ul Haq from Educative, Raja Tanveer Iqbal from Data Science Dojo, Farrukh Usman from Byonyks, Raza ul Mustafa from Leverify, Aftab Farooqi from Inabia Software & Consulting, Adnan Siddiquie from The Startup Council, and Bilal Khokhar from Amazon, among many others.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan’s No.1 LED TV Manufacturer – TCL Pakistan reached another milestone with the opening of its third flagship store in Karachi, located at Bin Hashim Supermarket, Munawar Chowrangi, Gulistan-e-Johar. The store aims to provide customers with top-of-the-line products and a shopping experience that is interactive and amazing. Moreover, the brand is offering superb discounts, offers, and gifts with every purchase for a limited time.

The flagship store aims to strengthen TCL Pakistan’s footprint in the country, by bringing its entire range of latest televisions including Mini LEDs, QLED TVs, UHD TVs, and Smart TVs alongside Air Conditioners, Soundbars, Smart Air Purifier, and Vacuum Cleaner at discounted prices all under one roof.

Sharing his thoughts on the launch of the store, Majid Niazi, Marketing Manager of TCL Pakistan, said: “The new flagship store reflects TCL’s strong relationship with their customers in Pakistan and portrays the brand’s commitment to making the best technology readily available all across Pakistan. We will continue with our mission of bringing the most innovative products and giving the best experience to our customers. We will continue to strengthen our foothold in the country by opening more stores.”

TCL has been a name synonymous with quality in the Global Consumer Electronics Industry which, has allowed it to become a leading player in the industry. With a global presence in 150+ countries, TCL is working towards building a strong image and presence in Asia, particularly focusing on the Pakistani market by offering high-end, cutting-edge technology at affordable prices in the country. 

Map Location: https://goo.gl/maps/UQQk3JQzPAKaJstB8

Huawei also among the prestigious Global Top 25 Startup Star Laureates

Lahore (NUT DESK) Pakistan: Huawei has ranked second in the 202 1 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard,up from third place in the previous year’s edition. The 2021 EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard is a European Commission publication that ranks the research investment levels of 2,500 companies around the world that comprise 90% of the world’s business-funded R&D. The report is prepared by the EU Joint Research Centre (JRC).

“Huawei is now ranked as the second-highest private sector investor in research and development in the world. The European Commission Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard 2021 is recognized as one of the most authoritative global studies into private sector investment in research and development. International collaboration in the areas of research and science is very important so as to guarantee that the most innovative products and services are developed” said Tony Jin, Huawei’s Chief Representative to the EU Institutions.

Separately, Huawei has also recently been named among the top 25 Global Corporate Startup Stars as part of the annual Corporate Startup Stars Awards, organizedby Mind the Bridge under the European Commission’s Startup Europe Partnership initiative. In total, 50 companies located in every region of the world have been recognized for their work: 25 as Global Corporate Startup Stars and 25 as Global Open Innovation Challengers. Along with Huawei, companies named in the 2021 Top25 Global Corporate Startup Stars include AB InBev, Allianz, Aramco, AXA, BNP Paribas, Bosch, BP, Engie, Haier, Hyundai, Mastercard, Nestlé, Orange, Samsung, SAP, Schneider Electric, and others.

Alberto Onetti, Chairman of Mind the Bridge, commented, “We recognized Huawei’s effort in working with startups, and in particular its ecosystem approach that takes into consideration the ‘give’ as much as the ‘take’. In fact, Huawei makes use of its CLOUD infrastructure and of its Huawei Mobile Services to support startups’ growth, the development of new products, and the expansion to new markets, while taking advantage of being close to countless cloud-native, AI, big data, and other hi-tech startups.”

Catherine Chen, President of the Public Affairs and Communications Dept at Huawei, said, “34 years ago, Huawei opened with just 5,000 dollars in registered capital. At that time, we luckily benefited from the generosity of other major companies who were willing to take a chance on a newcomer. So it is no surprise that we have wanted to do our part and pass this warmth and support on to more startups today. We believe this idea of paying it forward is important for healthy ecosystem development. Together with initiatives like our Shining Star program and the Huawei Developer Program designed for individual developers, we want to increase the number of startups in the market and support individual entrepreneurs and developers.”