Comment by Riaz Haq on March 8, 2023 at 10:10am

Pakistan approves blockchain-based national eKYC banking platform

https://www.kitco.com/news/2023-03-06/Iran-advances-its-digital-ria...

In other crypto-related developments out of the MENA region, the Pakistan Banks’ Association (PBA) has signed off on the development of a blockchain-based Know Your Customer (KYC) platform with the goal of strengthening the country’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML) capabilities in a bid to counter the financing of terrorism.

According to a report from the Daily Times, the PBA, which is comprised of 31 traditional banks operating in Pakistan, signed off on the project to develop Pakistan’s first blockchain-based national eKYC banking platform on Thursday at the behest of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the country’s central bank.

Included in the list of member banks are multiple international behemoths such as the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Citibank and Deutsche Bank.

The new blockchain-based eKYC platform – dubbed “Consonance” – will also reportedly improve operational efficiencies, which are primarily aimed at improving customer experience during onboarding.

Consonance will be developed by the Avanza Group, and the platform will be used by member banks to standardize and exchange customer data via a decentralized and self-regulated network.

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 10, 2023 at 4:30pm

Pakistan Telecommunication : DE-CIX and PTCL partner to establish Internet Exchange in Pakistan | MarketScreener


https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/PAKISTAN-TELECOMMUNICATI...

Frankfurt am Main (Germany)/Islamabad (Pakistan), 8 March 2023. DE-CIX, the world's leading Internet Exchange (IX) operator, and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), the largest integrated Information Communication Technology (ICT) company of Pakistan, today signed a strategic partnership to establish an Internet Exchange (IX) in Pakistan. The IX will be housed as a redundant setup in the data centers of PTCL. As a world-class interconnection platform in the populous South Asian country, it will be operated by DE-CIX under the DE-CIX as a Service (DaaS) model, and built on DE-CIX's award-winning interconnection infrastructure, including the full set of peering, cloud connectivity, and other interconnection services. Technical implementation is planned in 2023. The interconnection platform is set to serve as a hub for regional connectivity, enabling local networks low-latency interconnection and localization of global content, while increasing network stability, scalability, and security.

"With a population of over 200 million people and Internet usage growing incredibly fast, Pakistan needs local interconnection, and its Internet connectivity will be strongly enhanced through this partnership. We want to serve the great demand for increasing the speed, quality, and stability of Internet connectivity to guarantee the best experience possible for end users and businesses in the market," commented Ivo Ivanov, CEO of DE-CIX, after the signing ceremony at the telecoms event Capacity Middle East. "This will also attract more national and international Internet and cloud service providers to do business there and grow a vibrant local digital ecosystem, to offer the people in Pakistan the best access to local and international information, content, and services," Ivanov continued.

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Pakistan Internet Exchange point (PKIXP): How a collaborative effort helps keep Internet traffic local and makes the Internet faster and affordable in the country.

Learn more about how we're supporting technical communities strengthen their local infrastructure:

https://www.internetsociety.org/issues/infrastructure-and-community...


https://youtu.be/mXDVoWwesrg

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 11, 2023 at 10:01am

Survey shows improvement in financial inclusion - Business - DAWN.COM


https://www.dawn.com/news/1736315


Overall, 10pc of adult Pakistanis have used Raast, the survey showed. Its users are predominantly men (13pc). Urban areas have a higher percentage of Raast users (14pc) compared to rural areas (7pc).

KARACHI: Three of every 10 adult Pakistanis are financially included, a measure that more than doubled between 2017 and 2022.

The recently released Kara­ndaaz Financial Inclusion Survey 2022 shows financial inclusion increased from 14pc in 2017 to 21 per cent in 2020 and reached 30pc in 2022. Financially included individuals are those who have an account in their name with a full-service financial institution.

As for banking activities and attitudes, 19pc of adult Pakistanis have registered a bank account, according to the survey. The most common use of bank accounts is depositing money into one’s account (95pc), followed by withdrawal of money (38pc) and receiving wages (27pc).

About 81pc of Pakistani adults do not have bank accounts. Their main reason is “do not need one and have never thought of using one,” as reported by 68pc of those without a bank account.

Registered users for mobile money — which involves the use of a mobile phone to transfer funds, deposit or withdraw funds or pay bills — as a percentage of Pakistani adults also increased from 9pc in 2020 to 19pc in 2022.

About 45pc of mobile money wallet users recommended their use to others. Of these, 37pc recommended a specific mobile money wallet service. JazzCash was the most recommended service (69pc), followed by Telenor Easypaisa (24pc). The top reasons for recommending Easypaisa were “easier to transact with me” (69pc), “easier to use” (27pc) and “cheaper to transact with me” (26pc).

In comparison, JazzCash was recommended because of “lower transaction fees” (34pc) and “used by people I socialise with” (32pc).

The survey showed only 11pc of adult Pakistanis knew about Raast, which is the instant payment system that settles small-value retail payments in real-time while providing a universal access to all institutions in the financial industry. There’s is a “significant gender gap” in awareness about Raast as 16pc of men were aware of it versus only 5pc women.

Overall, 10pc of adult Pakistanis have used Raast, the survey showed. Its users are predominantly men (13pc). Urban areas have a higher percentage of Raast users (14pc) compared to rural areas (7pc).

The survey showed trust levels have increased for all types of financial institutions in the last nine years. The largest increase can be noticed for mobile money. Its level of trust has increased from 39pc in 2013 to 82pc in 2022. Trust in mobile money agents also increased from 37pc in 2013 to 77pc in 2022. Trust in the hundi/hawala system remained stagnant over the last nine years.

According to the survey, knowledge of different types of insurance products varied significantly among adult Pakistanis. About 50pc of them were either “very familiar” or “familiar” with life insurance. Familiarity with health insurance was reported by 37pc of the surveyed. The lowest level of awareness was about crop insurance (19pc).

Overall, 9pc of Pakistani adults have insurance policies. As is the case with using bank accounts and mobile money wallets, a gender gap also exists in the adoption of insurance policies: 12pc men versus only 6pc women have insurance policies, the survey showed.

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 14, 2023 at 8:28am

Scams Are Ruining Pakistan’s Digital Economy
Ecommerce is booming, but as one gaming group found out, there are few protections for buyers.

https://www.wired.com/story/pakistan-scams-digital-economy-gaming/

IT TOOK SAMAIN Abid, 26, nearly two years to scrape together the 120,000 rupees ($454) he needed to buy a PlayStation 5. Before he bought it, he combed through reviews and asked friends for advice. Finally, in January last year, he placed an order with ZipTech, a gaming equipment company that had by then become the supplier of choice for Pakistan’s gamers.

The company’s appeal was clear. It was cheaper than the competition, offering longer delivery times in exchange for below-market prices on imported goods. It also came highly recommended in the Facebook groups that make up the core of Pakistan’s ecommerce industry. It even had a celebrity endorsement from Junaid Akram, a comedian and streamer with more than 924,000 subscribers on YouTube. And finally, it had a charismatic owner, Muhammad Hassan, known in the community as Major Zippy.

But a year after he ordered it, Abid’s PlayStation still hasn’t arrived. At least 260 people, according to a spreadsheet circulating in the Pakistani PC Gamers group, claim to have been scammed by ZipTech, to a total of 67 million rupees—around $290,000. Zippy, too, has disappeared. Calls to Major Zippy’s cell phone went unanswered, as did emailed requests for comment. “It was a huge betrayal,” Abid says. “He gave us hope and then took it away.”

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“A large percentage of merchants prefer to stay in the gray economy and not come into the tax net and so they don’t adopt online payment options,” says Misbah Naqvi, cofounder of i2i Ventures, a VC firm investing in early-stage startups in Pakistan. “This impacts the growth of the ecommerce ecosystem in Pakistan.”

During the pandemic, a lot of sellers did move online, but they often did so on social media and messaging platforms, arranging deals directly with customers. Facebook groups such as Packr, for instance, began to thrive when the country placed an import ban on luxury items in May 2022, allowing customers to sidestep hefty customs and import duties by getting imported products shipped to their doorstep via passengers returning from abroad.

This has meant that Facebook communities have an outsize influence on how people buy online in Pakistan, and who they buy from.

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Whatever the resolution to the legal case, Major Zippy has wrecked the community he was once a part of. “There is a trust deficit now, between sellers and buyers,” Khan says. “If you’re not doing a face-to-face deal, no one trusts you. On the whole, this fiasco has cost the gaming community a lot. Irreparable damage.”

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 16, 2023 at 7:18am

Internet Startup Maqsad Scores Pakistan’s Biggest Edtech Round

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-16/internet-startup...

European seed investor Speedinvest leads round by Karachi firm
Company bets on rising demand for after-school tutoring


Pakistan’s Maqsad raised the nation’s largest funding round by an education technology provider, showing that some startups in the nascent market are attracting investors despite a global venture financing slump.

The Karachi-based company raised $2.8 million in an oversubscribed seed round led by Speedinvest GmbH, one of Europe’s largest seed investors, and existing backer Indus Valley Capital, according to co-founder Rooshan Aziz. Stellar Capital, Alter Global and angel investors also participated.

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 16, 2023 at 7:58am

Internet Startup Maqsad Scores Pakistan’s Biggest Edtech Round

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/internet-startup-maqsad-scores-pakis...

European seed investor Speedinvest leads round by Karachi firm

Company bets on rising demand for after-school tutoring


Pakistan’s Maqsad raised the nation’s largest funding round by an education technology provider, showing that some startups in the nascent market are attracting investors despite a global venture financing slump.
The Karachi-based company raised $2.8 million in an oversubscribed seed round led by Speedinvest GmbH, one of Europe’s largest seed investors, and existing backer Indus Valley Capital, according to co-founder Rooshan Aziz. Stellar Capital, Alter Global and angel investors also participated.

Pakistan’s venture funding was little changed at about $350 million last year, but startups including AdalFi and Truckrr have raised sizable rounds for the market this year. The nation has the world’s fifth-largest population with a high proportion of young people.

“The ecosystem is going through a bit of a shake, but the companies which you know are solving fundamental basic problems, they’ll survive,” Aziz said in an interview. Maqsad’s operations are relatively lean and scalable and its education content always remains relevant, Aziz said.

Education spending in Pakistan is estimated at $37 billion by 2032 with a quarter of this going to after-school academic support, the target market for Maqsad, according to the startup. The mobile-only service targets students on grades nine to twelve and offers cheaper rates than brick-and-mortar tutoring companies. Its services include a feature that allows students to take a photo of a question and receive an answer instantly.

The app has been downloaded more than a million times and it has answered 4 million queries in the past 6 months. The startup can impact millions of students and become one of the most successful businesses in Pakistan, said Philip Specht, a partner at Speedinvest, which has one edtech unicorn in its portfolio.

The startup was founded by high-school friends Taha Ahmed and Aziz, who went to the London School of Economics and worked in the city before returning to Karachi to start the venture. The startup will start monetization in the coming months and may partner with other public and private institutions, Aziz said.

“This is an interesting time for edtech because globally the hype has kind of settled down after Covid,” said Ahmed. “So only serious companies are being funded in this space.”

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 16, 2023 at 10:41am

Tech Destination Pakistan: Showcasing IT Prowess at LEAP 2023 in Saudi Arabia

https://propakistani.pk/2023/02/21/tech-destination-pakistan-showca...

Despite the prevailing economic crunch and challenges put forward by the uncertain situation, Pakistan’s IT sector made waves with its notable presence at LEAP 23 in Riyadh under the banner of ‘TechDestination Pakistan’.

This was very encouraging from an economic and business opportunities standpoint. PSEB’s renewed approach to branding Pakistan as a lucrative tech destination and enhancing its international presence has been exemplary.

With success at LEAP, Pakistan has proven that it is ready to take on the world and is open for business.

LEAP is an unparalleled tech event that brings together the brightest minds in the industry from across the globe, providing a dynamic platform for tech innovators, industry leaders, and top experts to collaborate, explore new innovations, establish valuable partnerships, and engage with influential mentors and investors.

The convention generated over $9 billion in business and was attended by over 172,000 individuals, including global tech leaders, IT professionals, speakers, tech gurus, and investors, making it the fastest-growing tech event in the world.

The Pakistan Pavilion, organized by the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), featured 18 top IT/ITeS companies from various verticals

These included 10 start-ups showcasing cutting-edge solutions in areas such as AI, IoT, blockchain & crypto, robotics, 3D printing, space and satellites, biotech, quantum, fintech, 5G, open source, unmanned systems, and data services.

The pavilion was launched by His Excellency Ambassador Ameer Khurram Rathore, and six MoUs were signed between Pakistani IT companies and international companies.

Pakistani startup, SnapRetail, made it to the final round of the Rocket Fuel Startup Pitch competition, demonstrating the true potential and innovation capabilities of Pakistan’s IT industry.

PSEB’s Managing Director, Mr. Junaid Imam, encouraged Pakistani IT companies to participate in future LEAP events, leveraging it as a platform for networking and showcasing their presence in the IT sector.

Additionally, PSEB Director Business Development and Partnerships, Mr. Shahbaz Hameed, shared the organization’s ambitious vision of positioning Pakistan as a leading tech destination and striving to enhance Pakistan’s brand image internationally.

PSEB provided great assistance to the IT industry at LEAP, including organizing B2B sessions with prominent Saudi Companies to promote business expansion and foster new partnerships.

The success of LEAP Riyadh has created a ripple effect of businesses and investments for Pakistani IT companies, and they look forward to their participation in the upcoming editions.

PASHA, the independent IT association, assisted PSEB in yielding maximum mileage from the LEAP exhibition.

Pakistan sees this as a perfectly timed opportunity to showcase its IT/ITeS companies on an international trade platform and expand business in the Middle East market, especially in Saudi Arabia, which is undergoing transformation by implementing its Vision 2030.


Saudi Arabia’s economy is the largest in the Middle East and among the top twenty economies in the world, with a significant share of the tech industry.

Despite facing challenges, Pakistan has managed to make a mark in the tech industry with its participation in this mega event.

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 16, 2023 at 4:44pm

Digital census process continues smoothly: PBS

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2023/03/16/digital-census-process-...


ISLAMABAD: The process of the 7th Population and Housing Census, being conducting digitally for the first time in the country’s history, has been going on smoothly all across the country, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported here on Thursday.

“The overall progress and speed of the census process is very encouraging and satisfactory,” PBS said in a press statement issued here.

The process includes an option for self-enumeration, which was made available from February 20, 2023, till March 10, 2023, and field operations of house listing and enumeration commenced from March 01, 2023, that will continue till April 4, 2023.

Conducting a census digitally ensures transparency, data-driven procedures, real-time monitoring of progress through geo-tagging using GIS systems, and wider acceptability of census results, said PBS press statement.

It said structures were listed from March 1st to March 10, 2023, during which all the residential and economic units were geotagged along with the classification of economic activities as per international standards.

It said, the self-enumeration portal was very well received by people who have enumerated themselves using the portal launched and this method was optional.

Currently, the final phase of the census i.e. enumeration is ongoing starting from March 12, 2023, and would continue till April 4, 2023. In this phase, the data about household members and their demographic characteristics, various Socio-Economic Indicators, as well as Housing characteristics, are being collected.

PBS technical team is analyzing and assessing the data and trends on a day-to-day basis to ensure the quality of the data and progress in identified 291 blocks all over Pakistan. Physical verification and digital monitoring are being used for quality assurance.

PBS has established 495 Census Support Centers (CSC) at the Census District level and 495 Census Support Centers (CSC) at the tehsil level where over 1,095 IT experts of NADRA and PBS team are available 24/7 for technical assistance and facilitation of field staff.

The control room has been established at the CSC level which facilitates census field staff during field operation and for this purpose, NADRA technical teams are available to redress all IT-related issues.

A call center is operating 24/7 for facilitation, assistance and suggestions through the toll-free number 0800-57574.

It said, certain quarters were spreading false and misinformation, adding information shared on the PBS website and official social media should be believed and considered.

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 16, 2023 at 9:41pm

Headcount of 40m population completed
PBS chief statistician says NADRA, NTC playing important role in securing data

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2406445/headcount-of-40m-population-co...


Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) chief statistician Dr Naeemuz Zafar said on Thursday that counting of 40 million people in 8 million houses was completed, so far, during the ongoing seventh national census.


Talking to the media along with census spokesperson Sarwar Gondal, the PBS chief statistician said that the citizenship of the Kashmiri people was ‘Pakistani’, adding that the Sindh government lacked confidence in the process.

He said that March 31 had been set as the deadline to complete the census.

For the planning purposes, the country had been divided into 185,509 blocks, while listing of 167,578 blocks had been completed so far, out of a total of 183,048 blocks.

“The listing could not be started in 2,664 blocks, so far. There are security issues in 201 blocks,” Zafar told reporters, while adding that “listing could not be done due to security issues in former Fata [Federally-Administered Tribal Areas].”

It is pertinent to note that the counting of people started on March 12.

In the first phase, house listings and all buildings have been geo-tagged and so far, 40 million buildings have been geo-tagged across the country.

Responding to a question, Dr Naeemuz Zafar said that work on this digital census had been going on for the last two years, adding that 121,000 people were trained for the census exercise.

“It is a digital household and economic census. NADRA and the NTC are playing an important role in securing the census data, which will help in the economic planning in the country,” he added.

Responding to another question, Dr Naeemuz Zafar said that there had been attacks on two census teams in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, while the Sindh government lacked confidence in the process, while adding that “the Sindh government can monitor our entire work.”

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 17, 2023 at 8:35pm

#DigitalPakistan: #Mastercard (MA) to Aid #Pakistan #Agriculture Sector Digitization. The expansive footprint of Digitt+ across the agricultural sector of Pakistan makes it an apt partner to complement MA’s endeavor. #Farm #Finance https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/mastercard-ma-to-aid-pakistan-agric...

Mastercard Incorporated MA recently inked a deal with Pakistan-based Aktkar Fuiou Technologies ("AFT") as a result of which AFT can take part in the Mastercard Community Pass Program. The program is a shared and interoperable digital technology platform, which aims to counter infrastructural headwinds, such as lack of secure connectivity or low smartphone usage, often encountered while digitizing rural communities.

As a result of the abovementioned deal, Digitt+, the country’s agri-fintech company, backed by AFT, will be entrusted to introduce Mastercard Commerce Pass across Pakistan. Commerce Pass is a digital payment solution that falls under MA’s Community Pass suite.

An offline and stored-value account product, Commerce Pass paves way for the safe storage and transfer of digital funds. Thereby, consumers and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises ("MSMEs") of Pakistan are made aware of digitization benefits and the hassles of cash storage and transferring are minimized.

The recent tie-up reinforces Mastercard’s sincere efforts to integrate digital solutions within the underserved agricultural markets of the country. And the expansive footprint of Digitt+ across the agricultural sector of Pakistan makes it an apt partner to complement MA’s endeavor.


The move seems to be a time opportune one as a significant portion of Pakistan’s population is employed in agriculture and widespread measures are being adopted across the globe to integrate digitization in every sphere of life. But the agricultural sector of Pakistan grapples with ineffective infrastructure thereby creating roadblocks in the way of financial service providers to cater to agricultural workers.

Deemed to be a perfect fit in the prevailing scenario, Commerce Pass will offer a record of transactions that will make availing credit and other financial services easier for the country’s agricultural employees. The Mastercard solution is expected to offer financial flexibility to a considerable population of Pakistan that resides in rural areas and resorts to informal lending channels.

Mastercard follows a public-private partnerships strategy in Pakistan and works in unison with the government or private sector companies to infuse digitization across various sectors of the economy. Last year, MA collaborated with LMK Resources Pakistan (Private) Limited ("LMKR") to execute the first open-loop payment solution, powered by MA’s advanced technology, across the country’s transit system. The move was undertaken to infuse digitization within the country’s travel sector. By virtue of such remarkable initiatives, Mastercard occupies a significant share of the digital payments market in Pakistan.

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