Finance & Market

  After the extension of US$1.5 billion loan by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan’s balance of payment crisis seems to have eased, at least for the time being. However, concerted efforts have to be made to boost exports to reduce heavy dependence of remittances. There is also need to create conducive environment for the inflow of direct investment. While there are expectations that after the grant of GSP Plus status to Pakistan …

  When last year at the eve of World Islamic Economic Forum, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced a plan to issue $323 million sovereign sukuk, or Islamic bond, to attract new money to London, then his announcement not come out as a surprise for in and outside Muslim countries. No doubt, Islamic finance is naturally more popular among Muslims because of their religious beliefs, with Malaysia leading the rest …

  Country still needs Shariah experts for growth of Islamic banking market Brunei Darussalam has only one fully-developed Islamic bank. Islamic windows are playing a pivotal role to invigorate the Islamic banking industry resembling with full-developed Islamic banks in most parts of the world and most of all, they are doing fine job to bring customers from conventional banking to Shariah-compliant business. The Tabung Amanah Islam Brunei was the first …

  In Pakistan banks were the first to deploy technology as they had funds and also wanted to enhance their footprint. On top of that it was growing pressure of the corporate sector to make banking more efficient. Banks went for mainframe computers and soon also started processing bills of utility companies. After a while utilities installed their own systems. However, the real revolution came with the advent of personal …

  State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has released data of lending by financial institutions to farmers for the six months period ending December 31, 2013. On the face value it appears that the financial institutions have achieved 44% of the indicative lending trend. However, a deeper probe suggests that challenges like high non-performing loans, inadequate infrastructure and overall security and macroeconomic conditions are the reasons for the lackluster performance. The …

  The banking industry in Pakistan faces tough competition unleashed in the global arena. The banking sector still needs to take effective measures for improving and strengthening its competitive position vis-’-vis the foreign banks. The banking industry must be able to meet increasingly complex banking needs if it is to flourish. The country cannot catch up with its Asian neighbors India and China in terms of economic development without making …

  First priority of the government is to develop a true Islamic financial system ‘ senator Ishaq Dar A true Islamic financial system is close to my heart and we are endeavoring to transform the financial system into a system truly based on justice and equity. In order to give a big push to the movement of Islamic financial system, the Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has also issued directives …

  Pakistan is among world’s those countries which have the lowest savings to GDP ratio, which is mainly because of poor purchasing power. Nearly one-third of total population lives below poverty line. Over the last ten years the gap between rich and poor has widened. Thanks to money whitening policies introduced with regular interval that encourages people to conceal their income. There exists huge undocumented economy and its estimates vary …

  The history of National Savings Organization dates back to the year 1873 when the Government Savings Bank Act, 1873 was promulgated. During the First World War, the British Government introduced several schemes for collection of funds to meet the expenditure. It was in this context that the Post Office Cash Certificates and during the Second World War, Post Office Defense Savings Certificates were floated. The need to setup a …

  Investors left with no option but to swap major currency for lucrative asset class like gold It is predicted that future growth will be evidenced in gold. The global economy in future may not based on the gold standard, but the recognized value of gold as the basis for real value — whether acknowledged by central banks or not — will never change. Historically, many civilizations have recognized the …