As the HBL PSL looks to the next decade, its stakeholders need to take control
In 2015, people doubted whether the tournament would even happen. Now, it is a certainty for years to come. Is it time for the early investors that believed in it when no one did to take control?
Banks: Rent-seekers, or responsible financial intermediaries?
The chairman of Pakistan’s banking lobby responds to criticism of his industry, acknowledging some charges as fair, but pushing back on the charge that the banks are rent-seekers
The Tariff Bombshell
What America’s new tariff regime means for Pakistan’s economy, and the status of the dollar as a reserve currency
The Gawala is back!
Loose milk has always been the dominating force in Pakistan’s milk industry, but packaged milk has been on a mission to rout them out. With new taxes and rising inflation, the gawalas are in no mood for mercy
The rise of Gujranwala
It used to be Pakistan's eighth largest city. It is now the core of the fourth largest metropolitan area. And it is done living in Lahore's shadow
Metropolitan areas: the new face of urban Pakistan
The easiest way to know that something big is changing in Pakistan’s urban geography is by looking at what happened to Raiwind.
In...
Nearly a trillion rupees have disappeared from the books of the Punjab Govt
The misappropriation of funds meant for local governments indicates that the bureaucrats running the finance division and successive administrations have either been woefully unaware of constitutional requirements or have remained willfully ignorant
The rise of Pakistan’s tech services exports
It is low-value, far smaller an industry than that in India, and is actively being strangled by the government. But Pakistan’s white collar techies and tech-enabled services exporters may hold the key to the country's macroeconomic salvation
The state of higher education in Pakistan
How educated is the Pakistani workforce, and what is it prepared for, especially in the age of AI?
Smuggled vapes from China are poisoning Pakistan
Since BAT pulled their vaping product, Vuse, from the market, nearly all of the vapes being sold in Pakistan are illegally smuggled. With a criminally unregulated market to play around in, just how big is this business?
Spiritual guidance and business genius: The life and times of the Aga Khan
Prince Karim Al-Husseini controlled a massive fortune matched only by the huge impact he had on the world and Pakistan
Coke and Pepsi (to name just two) took a hit from the BDS movement. Local brands bottled the opportunity
McDonald’s, KFC, Coca Cola, Pepsico are among the companies that saw a significant, often major, downturn in sales following the genocide in Gaza, but over time, their numbers have returned largely to normal out of ‘boycott fatigue’
Asset management taking off? Not yet
By some measures, the Pakistani asset management industry is the largest it has ever been. By other measures, it has not even recovered its 2008 peak yet
How profitable is Islamic banking?
The perception of Islamic banking is that it takes advantage of people’s faith. How high are the industry’s profits, and where do they come from?
The bifurcation of payments
Electronic payments are gaining market share, but cash is not ceding ground either