War on cash – Will the real payments revolution please stand up?
Contrary to common perception, Pakistanis are absolutely desperate to begin using internet-based payments; will the handful of well-funded fintech startups be able to break through the massive barriers to entry and get Pakistan on the road to its digital revolution?
Careem brought with it a boom in auto lending for the banks. Then came the interest rate hikes
Muhammad Irfan started his rental car business in 2015 with just one used car. Then came Careem and Uber and the boom...
Habib Bank makes the pivot towards FinTech
Pakistan’s largest bank announces a big push into branchless banking, investments in technology infrastructure
Sindh Bank and Summit Bank are merging. Who is the real buyer?
Allegations of money laundering and illicit payoffs continue to haunt this transaction, suggesting there may be more than a simple bank merger going on
Hong Kong-based investment bank returns to Pakistan’s capital markets. But why?
CLSA, a subsidiary of a Chinese state-owned company CITIC, has acquired a stake in Bank Alfalah’s securities trading arm Alfalah Securities
The return of Husain Lawai’s legal troubles
One of Pakistan’s leading bankers, Lawai’s career continues to be dogged by allegations of money laundering and illegal activities
Breaking the legacy mindset of large commercial banks
While up-and-coming players tap into new segments like mobile wallets, big players seem content with their decades-old business model that revolves around taking deposits and investing in risk-free securities.
Is Dewan Yousuf serious or will he hoodwink everyone yet again?
The Group faces a serious credibility crisis as it turns down offers for its cement plants for the umpteenth time – even the lucrative Mega offer – raising doubts about its intent to sell and settle the default.
A bank sold for just Rs1,000. Does it make any sense?
Profit demystifies the controversy over the sale of KASB Bank
How paramilitary helped Advans Bank double its size in one year
As peace returns to Karachi, losses spread over half a dozen years are now consigned to the past
Three major banks are up for sale. Who will buy them?
For the first time in Pakistani history, three perfectly healthy and viable banks are simultaneously up for sale. None of them is...
Pakistan’s mystery billionaire
“He’s the Howard Hughes of Pakistan. Nobody ever sees him. You’re the first ones (among journalists) who are going to witness him...
How bank CEOs rake in the big dough
As the curtain coming down on 2017 coincided with his premature exit as CEO of Pakistan’s largest commercial bank, Habib Bank Limited,...
Habib Metro shows how (not) to compete against the big boys and win
Habib Metro is a boring, unexciting bank. It’s neither big nor small. Nobody uses its credit card. It won’t serve you if...
Spotting the fake Quaid in M1
Sana Saif, a housewife, recently opened an account in Meezan Bank and made a visit to her branch, adjacent to her apartments,...