News

Gold prices plunge globally, locally

In the international bullion market, the price of gold dropped sharply by $85 per ounce, settling at $4,150. In the local market, the price of gold per tola fell by Rs7,538, reaching Rs437,362, while the price per 10 grams decreased by Rs6,463 to Rs343,732. Read: Gold drops by Rs1,400 per tola in Pakistan, silver also slips Spot gold was up 0.6% at $4,146.47 per ounce, as of 0636 GMT. Bul

Rs180b cess demand jolts oil industry

The oil crisis in the country may deepen as the industry faces possible collapse due to claims of Rs180 billion on account of the Sindh Infrastructure Development Cess (SIDC) imposed by the Sindh government on petroleum product imports. The Sindh government on Tuesday released one oil cargo of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) that had been stuck at port over the SIDC issue. Now, the provincial governme

When entrepreneurial ambitions meet with reality

Aqib Mehmood, an entrepreneur connected to the world by a government agency to enhance the nation's exports, has now made Indonesia his base for conducting business, aiming to overcome Pakistan's image problem, which was leading to exploitation by foreign buyers. Mehmood, a business partner at a small enterprise, Masairr, was a student of business studies nine years ago at the Institute of Busi

Asian markets retreat on potential new US trade curb against China

Asian stocks fell for a second day on Thursday as lacklustre earnings reports from tech mega cap stocks deepened a selloff on Wall Street, while U.S. sanctions against Russia and China revived fears around geopolitics. Oil prices surged. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was last off 0.3%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 sank 1.5%. Chinese stocks declined 0.4% in Hong Kong

SBP calls for collaboration to accelerate Islamic and digital banking transformation

Senior representatives from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and commercial banks have underscored the need for deeper collaboration between regulators, banks, and technology partners to accelerate Islamic and digital banking transformation in Pakistan. Speaking at “NextGen Islamic Banking in Pakistan – 2025,” an exclusive forum hosted by TMC Pvt. Ltd. and Azentio Software in Karachi, they call