News Update Times

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Careem recently announced an investment of $25 million to further simplify and improve Captains’ and Customers’ experience in Pakistan. The announcement was made by Feroz Jaleel, Country Head of Careem Pakistan, during the Sitara-e-Careem Award ceremony where the top performing Captains were awarded for being of service with their hard work, dedication and commitment.

Senior leadership from Careem and JS Bank graced the award ceremony held in Karachi to recognize the efforts of the best performing Captains who went above and beyond and made lives simpler for Customers. Representatives from JS Bank spoke at length about how the Captains can benefit from subsidized car loans through the Kamyan Jawan initiative.

Speaking at the event, Feroz Jaleel,  stated: “Careem has always been at the forefront of improving the lives of its Captains as they are at the heart of what we do at Careem. I want to take this opportunity to personally thank all the Captains for their hard work, dedication and commitment. Pakistan is the largest market for Careem. We have invested over $100 million in the last six years; we will continue to take further initiative to bring benchmark practices in ride-hailing, food, delivery and payments.”

Atif Salim Malik, Group Head, Retail Banking, JS Bank, further added, “Great event organized by Careem to appreciate their top Captains. I am looking forward to JS Bank’s continued partnership with Careem under JS Kamyab Jawan through which more Captains can be financially empowered.”

 As a result of the pandemic and increased fuel prices, Captain economics got impacted due to restricted mobility. Careem has resumed extra bonuses for Captains with special incentives targeted in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. The new rewards will enable the Captains to earn up to 31% in addition to their primary income and make them able to earn up to PKR 170,000. Similarly, Careem has also reduced its commissions from 25% to 15% on the bike category to help improve Captain earnings.

Careem has over 9m Customers, 0.8m Captains, and 3000+ merchants registered on its platform. Transforming into a Super App, Careem is a multi-service platform offering ride-hailing, food, delivery and payments.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) With this signing, Faysal Bank Limited & TPL Life Insurance (Window Takaful Operations) have taken a step towards further strengthening their existing partnership and introduced a Women specific Takaful coverage proposition for Faysal Islami Amal Women’s Account holders which is best in class across the industry. Under this plan, women will get coverage for major critical illnesses, and the benefit of income continuation, along with unlimited online health consultation access via TPL Life’s mobile app and attractive discounts on lifestyle items. The agreement was signed by Mr. Yousaf Hussain, President & CEO Faysal Bank & Mr. Ali Jameel, Group CEO TPL Corp.

Mr. Yousaf Hussain – President & CEO, Faysal Bank said, “Faysal Bank is a progressive Islamic Bank which focuses on empowerment and financial inclusion of women. The Amal account is another step towards offering best in class services and financial solutions to our female customers. We look forward to further enhancing our collaboration with TPL Life to develop customer centric value propositions.”

Mr. Ali Jameel – Group CEO, TPL Corp stated, “We are pleased to further expand and strengthen our partnership with Faysal Bank, who shares the same vision as ours to empower Pakistani women and recognize their importance and invaluable contribution to the society. In line with this vision, TPL has always been at the forefront to offer women centric value propositions through its various platforms. I wish both the teams the best!” 

During the signing ceremony, Mr. Yousaf Hussain & Mr. Muhammed Ali Jameel were accompanied by their companies’ senior officials.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Zong 4G, Pakistan’s cellular and digital services frontrunner, has joined hands with OP Digital Services Pvt. Ltd (OPay) to integrate the mobile top-up facility in OPay’s point of sale (POS) terminals. Through this collaboration, OPay will ensure that customers have the availability of mobile recharge at more locations such as shopping malls, pharmacies etc. and will help merchants to increase customer engagement on their respective locations.

This partnership will help both organizations in moving forward in their mission to provide digital solutions to their customers. It is also the first time that a POS service provider will enable merchants to provide mobile top-up services through its physical touch points. This new addition to OPay’s services will also enable merchants to serve their customers with new smart POS solutions which will be offered through the agent network with the objective of creating a positive impact on financial inclusion.

“We’re happy to have partnered with OP Digital Services to help Zong customers recharge their mobile balance more conveniently at more retailers,” shared Zong’s official spokesperson. “The development is also in-line with both organizations’ mission of digital and financial enablement in Pakistan through which merchants will also see increased customer engagement.” “Partnering with a cellular and digital services giant like Zong will help us reach out to more customers across Pakistan, facilitating them in topping up their mobile balance with more convenience,” shared Qaiser Sheikh, Director Partnerships at OPay Pakistan.

“We share the goals of digitalization in Pakistan and that very motto has brought the two organizations closer.” OPay is a fintech company based out of Beijing with a presence across Africa and Asia and a valuation over US$ 2 billion. It is a one-stop mobile-based platform for payment, transportation, food & grocery delivery, and other important services in everyday life. Millions of users rely on OPay everyday to send and receive money, pay bills among other services.

Zong 4G is the digital partner for the Pakistani youth and is leading Pakistan to a new era of connectivity and opportunities. Being a customer-centric company offering innovative solutions and services, Zong is leaving no stone unturned to address the needs of the digitally savvy generation. With 14,000+ 4G towers and the best data and value added services, Zong 4G proves to be the network of choice for millions of young people.

Lahore (Nut Desk)

The recently launched TECNO Spark 8C becomes a consumer favorite by selling over 50,000 units in just two weeks. The phone comes in two variants, where the 4+128GB has become a popular demand as compared to the 3+64GB version.

The renowned Chinese smartphone manufacturer, TECNO Mobile has gathered a large customer base in Pakistan. The Spark series has been loved by users for its latest mobile technologies and economical prices. The latest Spark 8C comes with some amazing specifications, was sold like hotcakes, and has already crossed the 50,000 units sold milestone. The demand has increased many folds during Ramadan but TECNO ensures sufficient product supply in the market.

With up to 3GB of Expandable memory, Spark 8C is equipped with the best features in the competitive market. The phone brings the Memory Fusion Technology with an Iconic Design and a stylish Camera. Spark 8C supports an 8MP front camera, 13MP Rear AI dual camera, 6.56” HD+ Dot Notch Display, 90Hz refresh rate, and 5000mAh Battery. Moreover, it is available in four aesthetically stylish colors – Magnetic Black, Turquoise Cyan, Iris Purple, and Diamond Grey.

Kelvin Zeng, CEO of TECNO Mobile Pakistan shared his view on reaching this milestone,

“This is not the first time our local consumers have stunned us with huge sales. We are very humbled by the response we get from the Pakistani community. This shows that our efforts in making each phone are not wasted and that technology is reaching every household. Spark 8C is yet another example of our efforts in providing the best features in the minimum budget. Features like Memory fusion, stylish designs, and bigger display cannot be found at such a competitive price.”

Apart from Expandable memory, the TECNO Spark 8C brings features such as Customized Beauty, Rear Camera decoration and Fingerprint sensor design, SOPLAY, other special audio features, and much more. So go and get this amazing device from your nearest retailer.

Much like the realme 9 Pro+’s Light Shift Design, Sajal debuts a bold and different look for realme

A stylish and performance-oriented smartphone like the realme 9 Pro+ needs a brand ambassador like the illustrious Sajal Aly. The actress and model has a history of successful TV and film projects locally as well as in the international sphere. She made her acting debut in the 2009 sit-com Nadaaniyan and went on to have many breakthrough roles in local telefilms and TV serials. In 2016, she made her silver screen debut with Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hai before landing a lead role across the border in the Bollywood film Mom. She is all set to make her Hollywood debut in Shekhar Kapur’s What’s Love Got to do with it? Partnering with realme, Sajal has made an aesthetic shift. She has taken on a young, fresh, trendy avatar showing she can pull of any look much like the realme 9 Pro+ with its aesthetic Light Shift Design. This innovative design is available in the realme 9 Pro+’s Sunrise Blue variant and will be the first color-shifting smartphone in its price segment.

Inspired by photo-chromism and organic photochromic materials, the rear panel of the smartphone changes color from Sunrise Blue to a sparkling red color under sunlight or UV light. Once removed from the source of light, the back panel reverts back to its original color in a time period of between 2-5 minutes. realme fans from 9 different time zones around the world were asked to contribute images of the rising sun, which allowed designers to pick out the most classic color changes that occur during sunrise. This led to the selection of a cool blue and a harsher red to accurately reflect the colors of the sky. It took over 200 attempts with scientific testing to overcome the challenges standing in the way of making this design a reality. This included inquiry into how to ‘alter’ the molecular structure to make the material change colors and revert back quickly.

In order to finally achieve this effect, realme first created the pioneering dual-layer photochromic process. After some creative thinking, an organic composite layer was layered on top which not only guarantees the desired effect but also increases the color rendering rate by 40%. This three layer process creates a shiny, color-rich, rear panel with a vibrant vertical beam that shines from any angle you view it from.

With such a fun and dynamic design concept on the outside one might be tempted to think there isn’t much substance on the inside but the realme 9 Pro+ will surely prove you wrong. Boasting premium features such as a 50MP AI Triple Camera with Sony IMX766 OIS Sensor, MediaTek Dimensity 920 5G chipset, 60W SuperDart Charge, and a colossal 4500mAh battery, the realme 9 Pro+ is coming to give tough competition to the high-end smartphones in the market. So Dare to Leap with realme and Sajal Aly and gear up for the upcoming release of the realme 9 Pro+ which will be available with your local smartphone vendors very soon.

Lahore (Nut Desk)

PSDF (Punjab Skills Development Fund) has signed an agreement of PKR 150 million with Koh e Suleman Improvement project (KISP) to lead its skill trainings for residents of Tehsil Koh e Suleman, DG Khan and De-excluded area of Rajanpur. These areas comprise primarily of tribal communities with low literacy levels and until now have had limited opportunities for personal and economic development. During the first phase of this project, 2000 residents will receive training and are aimed to include at least 20 percent female trainees.

The residents will gain trainings across four key industries: Light Engineering, Construction, Services and Textiles. The trainings will be the first of their kind in these districts and PSDF will use its skill expertise to equip residents with market-relevant professional knowledge to commence their skill development and open career opportunities for them. To mobilize this project, training centres will also be established in the tribal areas to execute the trainings and create ease of access for the residents. A stipend of Rs 3500 monthly, will also be provided to the trainees to facilitate their learning journey.

The on-ground trainings are scheduled to commence in July of this year. During the contract signing ceremony Maqbool Ahmed (Project Director, KISP) remarked, “We look forward to working with PSDF on this project, PSDF’s expertise in executing quality skills trainings will bring a lot of value for these communities and prepare them to access income-generating opportunities”. PSDF COO Ali Akbar Bosan also echoed this sentiment, “These trainings are aimed at developing the local resident’s skillsets in professional fields that are growing and employers are actively seeking to hire workers in.

PSDF will utilize its experience to ensure that our trainees receive the right technical knowledge and develop valuable skillsets, so they can confidently pursue employment opportunities throughout the country”. PSDF is the country’s largest skill development fund and has established itself as a skills expert by training more than 500,000 women and men in 250 plus trades. It has also successfully implemented trainings on behalf of FCDO, World Bank and the Government of Punjab.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) In an effort to improve food packaging and follow hygiene standards during food preparation, foodpanda partnered with Punjab Food Authority (PFA) in order to train Homechefs regarding enhanced safety protocols and government SOPs.

The training session was conducted with the objective to encourage and promote food safety culture across Punjab, training the Homechefs on basic hygiene and safe food preparation.

Speaking on the occasion, Mustafa Dogar, Additional DG, PFA said, “We are pleased to collaborate with foodpanda and train these talented individuals on hygiene and safe food preparation. Our goal is to promote this culture and encourage everyone to adhere to these protocols for a healthy environment.”

Homechefs are essentially people operating out of their home kitchens who sell food through online platforms. foodpanda currently have several thousand registered homechefs who have been taken on-board after stringent routine checks for food hygiene, quality, safety, packaging, etc. The company’s aim is to increase the homechefs base in the next two years and take it up to 100,000 registered homechefs.