Abhi partners with Daftarkhwan to empower the coworking ecosystem

ABHI joins hands with Daftarkhwan, one of the biggest coworking ecosystem in Pakistan, to provide financial wellness, exclusively to its more than 200 resident companies with over 2500 members.

Daftarkhwan currently houses 2500+ professionals across 7 locations in 3 main cities across Lahore, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi. They are home to leading companies like Uber, Trella, Jugnu, Sadapay, and Tintash to name a few. Daftarkhwan provides founders and professionals with modern office spaces in premium locations, equipped with state-of-the-art amenities suited to every business need.

With the current sky-high inflation, prices have gone up across the board. Day by day it’s getting harder for individuals and businesses to operate with limited working capital, late credit payments, or salary delays. This is where ABHI steps in to provide relief whether it be a salaried employee or a business owner. ABHI offers a complete solution to promote financial wellness to companies within Daftarkhwan through their 4 main products – earned wage access, payroll financing, payroll processing, and invoice factoring.

On this occasion, Omair Ansari, CEO of ABHI mentioned, “ABHI is proud to partner with Pakistan’s largest co-working space – Daftarkhwan, to financially empower its 200+ member companies. The strategic partnership of Daftarkhwan and ABHI will prove to be a success and eventually unlock multiple opportunities to reach the goal of making Pakistan financially empowered.”

Saad Idrees, CEO, and co-founder of Daftarkhwan remarks, “Daftarkhwan has always focused on helping founders grow and scale their businesses. We are constantly looking for ways to improve the lives of our members. With many companies and employees across the nation feeling the effects of the economic turmoil, we are very excited about this strategic partnership with ABHI that allows our members to attain and maintain financial wellness.”

ABHI is looking forward to collaborating with multiple partners to boost access to financial wellness in the country.

Amazon is hiring 150,000 temporary employees for Christmas this year

Amazon employs 150,000 employees across the United States in full-time, seasonal and part-time roles across its network of operations ahead of the holiday season.

A variety of roles, from packing and selecting to sorting and shipping, are available to applicants of all backgrounds and experience levels.

Amazon claims that employees can earn, on average, more than $19 an hour based on their location and location in the United States, with California, Illinois and Texas being the states with the most available jobs.

benefit?

If you are interested you can find a complete overview of the offered jobs here (Opens in a new tab).

The news comes after Amazon announced that it had raised its average starting wage for warehouse and delivery workers to more than $19 an hour, up from $18 an hour.

But if you are not a US resident, don’t count yourself out.

Amazon’s announcement comes as the retail giant has been accelerating the pace of hiring in the UK over the past few years, with the move set to raise its permanent workforce in the UK to 70,000.

Amazon said the move would make it one of the UK’s largest private sector employers, joining the likes of John Lewis and Alliance Boots, and surpassing the numbers used by the British military.

However, the move comes as many of the giant retail workers are unhappy with their conditions.

Amazon employees in New York City formed the company’s first union in July 2022, and German workers staged strikes at seven distribution centers in May.

In August, there was a strike at Amazon’s largest UK distribution center in Tilbury, with workers claiming it had failed to address cost-of-living issues.

However, some Amazon workers in the US are now set to receive additional perks, including signature pairs ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 at select locations.

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MMBL to offer e-health Insurance & Digital Financial Solutions to Careem Captains

Karachi –Pakistan’s largest digital bank, Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL) has collaborated with Careem, a pioneer in the Middle East region’s ride-hailing economy, to provide its Captains health insurance services over digital channels at market competitive rates for enhanced well-being.

MMBL’s Chief Finance & Digital Officer, Sardar Mohammad Abubakr, and Country Head Careem Pakistan, Feroz Jaleel signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations to formally implement the initiative that intends to bring more value in terms of financial independence and well being to the diligent workforce that drives the successful ride-hailing service across Pakistan.

Careem Captains will open their MMBL accounts digitally to access the insurance services while being assisted through the process by both the Careem & MMBL Support team. Sharing his thoughts on the development, Chief Finance& Digital Officer MMBL, Sardar Mohammad Abubakar said: “Innovation anddigitalization is the twin fuel that drives our growth at MMBL, and expanding our services to Careem Captains will help enable the achievement of our collective goal to promote digital and financial inclusion at all tiers.

Through this partnership, we aim to provide health & financial security to the Captains,who ensure secure & comfortable rides for the masses every day.” Also speaking at the event, Country Head Careem Pakistan, Feroz Jaleel said: “Captains are at the heart of what we do and a priority area for us.

This collaboration with MMBL will undoubtedly bring value to our deserving Captains in availing hassle-free digital financial solutions and e-health insurance. Careem has always been at the forefront of coming up with initiatives designed at improving the quality of life for Captains. This is the beginning of bigger solution space for our Captains as we will continue to explore other ways to improve financing.”

Under this partnership, MMBL and Careem are solely focused on providing easy, accessible, and affordable digital financial solutions to the captains. Building on the current collaboration, the signing partners agreed on exploring more opportunities including digital lending to financially enable Careem Captains. MMBL is a leading digital microfinance bank and the torch bearer of fostering digital and financial inclusion in the country,particularly amongst the unbanked segments of society. The bank offers a wide range of digital financial products and services through its broad-based financial ecosystem, with a network of over 100 branches, that caters to the varying needs of different individual and enterprise customers.

National Incubation Centre Lahore at LUMS holds Investor Summit for its 9th Cohort of Entrepreneurs

Lahore: The National Incubation Centre Lahore (NICL) at LUMS held its capstone event – the Investor Summit, which brought together its 9th Cohort of change-driven start-ups, pitching their ventures in Agritech, Cleantech, Edtech, Healthtech, and Fintech to seasoned investors and start-up founders in Pakistan.
The Investor Summit is the culmination of a 6-month long Foundation Programme where the necessary skills and knowledge are imparted to the incubated entrepreneurs to underpin their start-ups with real-world experience.

While addressing his experience of being part of the Investor Summit, Humayun Mazhar, Founder & CEO at CresVentures, said, “The passion, the energy, and the youth excites me, and whenever I come here at NICL, I feel younger. I love the energy of this place.” Referring to NICL’s start-ups, he added, “The start-ups graduating from here are adding value in terms of employment and revenue to the national exchequer and I’d like to see them grow in the times to come.”

“I’m thoroughly impressed by the quality and variety of founders that has only grown over the last 5 cohorts which is very refreshing. That goes to show the effort that NICL is putting in and making sure that the graduating start-ups are more mature when pitching their ideas,” said Hamza Iqbal, NICL Foundation Council Member and CEO at Healthwire, while sharing his thoughts on the work NICL is doing within the start-up ecosystem of Pakistan.

The participating start-ups at the Investor Summit were (in order of presentation) SAY Global, Roshni, Janwar Mandi, Gamma Green Recycle, Raftar Technologies, Wholly Ranch, Cashmail (Pvt.) Ltd., eBilty, Print Me All, Kitchen Collabs, Darzi Cut, Zarai Zambeel, and SAFE Space, pitching to spark investors’ interest.

NICL was founded in 2018 by Ignite National Technology Fund (IGNITE) and the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MOITT), and has since graduated 152 ventures, and housed 84 female entrepreneurs in verticals of interest.

Pakistani freelancers attract export remittances of nearly $400 million in FY22

Pakistani freelancers attracted export remittances of nearly $400 million in the closing financial year 2021-2022 by providing various services online to foreign clients in different countries.

According to the official data released by the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication (MoITT), the remittances inflows in the closing financial year stood at $397.328 million as compared to $396.243 million recorded in the previous financial year 2020-21, showing a modest growth of 2.74% year-on-year.

The contribution of the freelancers accounted for 14.77% of the total ICT export remittances of $2.616 billion recorded by the country during FY22.

Tufail Ahmed Khan, ,CEO Pakistan Freelancers Association said the contribution of the freelancers to attract export remittances has been impressive in Pakistan considering the issues and challenges faced by the fraternity.

Freelancers in Pakistan have maintained their good reputation on the renowned freelancing platforms however they do have immense scope to enhance their contribution to export remittances, he added.

In Pakistan, freelancers should utilize the available bank account services through major local banks to avoid significant deductions of their earnings on multiple channels. Besides, new people should subscribe to freelancing platforms for making money and supporting their country alike, Khan further added.

The export remittances of IT services declined to $265 million in FY22 as compared to $363 million reported in FY21. IT services included web development, logo design, graphic designing, mobile app developers, java developers, etc.

On the other hand, the export remittances from non-IT services surged to $131 million in FY from $33 million reported in FY21. Content writing, translation, virtual assistantship, sales, marketing, account, finance, customers’ services are the major areas of non-IT freelance services.

In the outgoing year, freelancers were also imposed charges through banks on each transaction of income remittances which not only reduce their earnings but also discourage their passion to make money online from foreign clients.

According to estimates, there are nearly 3 million freelancers in Pakistan which put the country among to 5 countries for providing freelance services.
Recently, an association was formed to support freelancers in Pakistan including its resolution of their issues and creating awareness about the opportunities they could avail of. Also, various events were organized to promote freelancing in Pakistan in major cities in recent months.

The concerned ministry is also working on the draft of the National Freelancing Policy aimed at creating facilities for freelancers in Pakistan including capacity building programs of various fields.

Mr. Dilawar Syed, Special Representative, US Department of State for Commercial and Business Affairs visits NICL, LUMS

Lahore: Mr. Dilawar Syed, Special Representative of the US Department of State for Commercial and Business Affairs, was hosted at the National Incubation Centre Lahore (NICL) by Mr. Shahid Hussain, Rector, LUMS, and Mr. Saleem Ahmad, Chairman Advisory Board, along with the NICL management team. He was apprised of the Centre’s pioneering role in bolstering the start-up ecosystem in the country by providing founders with training and resources to develop and scale ventures that solve Pakistan’s most pressing problems.

Mr. Ahmad’s presentation highlighted the high-impact areas for Pakistan which are the core focus for NICL including agriculture, education, environment, financial inclusion, and healthcare with an overlay of key technologies like AI/ML, blockchain, cloud/IoT, hardware/robotics, and VR/AR. He discussed Pakistan’s start-up ecosystem, the critical importance of upskilling talent, encouraging gender diversity and outreach to underserved communities in Pakistan. He spoke about the ecosystem of support through NICL’s Foundation Council comprising role model entrepreneurs and respected venture capitalists, and hundreds of mentors across the world.

Mr. Syed toured the Centre’s state-of-the-art facilities including the Makers Lab (3D printing and prototyping) and Facebook Innovation Lab and engaged with start-ups currently in incubation. He praised NICL’s efforts and said, “Wish we could do more of this in communities across this country. We’ve got to make sure that the underserved regions and the underserved communities in this amazing country have access to these kinds of facilities.” He also talked about how inspired he was by the diversity of ideas that ranged from aviation space to solving speech impediment problems.

NICL aims to inspire bootstrapping entrepreneurs to build #TechForBetter through its 6-month Incubation Programme. Successful applicants are given the platform for capacity building and scaling up their start-ups using NICL’s free resources like business skills and technical training, mentoring support from business leaders, a growth conducive co-working space at the LUMS campus, and industry networking opportunities.

With over 150 seasoned mentors, start-ups at NICL have the perfect opportunity to absorb their experience and apply it to prove their mettle. Once ready, they are given the opportunity to pitch to the 100+ investors on the Centre’s panel to take their start-ups to newer heights.

NICs Applications for Startups open Nationwide

Lahore – July 29, 2022

Applications for National Expansion Plan under the umbrella of National Incubation Center (NICs), an initiative of The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) and executed by Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), are open for aspiring startups across Pakistan. The initiative aims to expand the startup ecosystem nationwide and has generated 1200+ jobs since its launch last year in 2021. Moreover, 260 startups have graduated and 7500+ applications have also been received to date.

With leading Universities as key stakeholders, National Expansion Plan has established centers in all the six regions nationwide, including Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir making it the largest network of technology incubation centers across Pakistan. The program is particularly designed to support early-stage startups.

Applications for all the centers are open. With six regions on list, applications are open for the 13 centers namely in Punjab (Lahore, Gujrat, Taxila and Rawalpindi), Balochistan (Quetta and Lasbela), Sindh (Karachi, Jamshoro and Sukkur), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Kohat and Swat), Gilgit Baltistan (GB), and Azad Jammu & Kashmir (Muzaffarabad).

Aspiring entrepreneurs can apply through the official website on preferred location (nep.pitb.gov.pk). Shortlisted startups will pitch to a panel of judges as part of the induction process. Top 10 startups will be admitted in the center of their relevant city.

UN Women Pakistan and foodpanda Pakistan collaborate for the promotionof workplace safety and gender equality for women

Karachi: UN Women and foodpanda Pakistan have announced a partnership on promotion of gender equality in the workplace. Under the partnership various initiatives and training will be undertaken to address and implement strategies pertaining to gender-responsiveness and creating a healthy work environment.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard was recently signed in foodpanda’s office where both organizations pledged to implement capacity-building initiatives to empower women at all positions, leveraging the UN Women Empowerment Principles(WEPs). foodpanda Pakistan being the signatory of these principles has policiesin place regarding the promotion of women’s rights and well-being at the workplace which highlight it as an equal opportunity employer.

“Given the fast-paced world that we are living in today, it is imperative that we assimilate in the organisation while acknowledging the rights and needs of our female counterparts and ensure an all-inclusive workplace,” said Muntaqa Peracha,Managing Director, foodpanda Pakistan. “No economy can thrive without the contribution of women and here at foodpanda Pakistan, we are committed to advancing the agenda of empowering our female stakeholders at all levels. This includes entrusting them with decision making powers, placing them in key leadership positions, and designing an environment conducive to their professional growth.”

“Women’s economic empowerment lies at the heart of this partnership” said Sharmeela Rassool, Country Representative, UN Women Pakistan. She added “foodpanda has caused a positive disruption in society through its dignified approach to the food delivery profession. By creating an enabling and inclusive environment at the workplace, as well as particularly driving women inclusion as home based vendors and fleet of riders is an exemplary effort to enable them to break stereotypes at one hand and earn a respectable living at the other hand.” The private sector has emerged as the promoter of sustainable social development while having a positive impact on communities and the society at large, the rebypromoting their economic growth and prosperity.

The Sustainable Development Goal 5 specific to gender equality addresses the need of ending all forms of discrimination against women and empowering them that would eventually have a multiplier effect for sustained development. The Global Goals and the WEPs aim at uniting the public and private sectors, and civil society to expedite gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community.

Sindh Government reduces sales tax on commissions charged by online platforms for home based vendors

Karachi: In the recently announced provincial budget 2022/2023, the Sindh Government took an important step in supporting home based vendors through allowing a reduction in sales tax on commissions charged for home chefs that operate on online platforms. The rebate is consistent with similar reductions offered by other provinces like Punjab and KP, and is expected to help grow the sector and support grass root economic empowerment (especially for women).

The rebate reduces sales tax from 13% to 8%, allowing for better unit economics and higher potential for growth for such HomeChefs operating on online food delivery platforms, such as foodpanda.

Dr. Wasif Ali Memon, Chairman SRB, stated, “This step by the Sindh Government will support home-based entrepreneurs working on online delivery platforms and drive economic viability for a large, and growing segment of the society. The rebate will lead to an increase in the number of home based vendors and create an enabling environment which is well aligned with the government’s focus on economic sustainability.”

Muntaqa Peracha, CEO foodpanda, while sharing his thoughts said, “This initiative by the Government of Sindh is in line with our vision of creating a favourable business environment for HomeChefs as they represent an important segment of our portfolio. This move will help grow a new sector that has significant potential for financial and economic inclusion, specifically women’s economic empowerment. We are excited to see its positive impact on food entrepreneurship and aim at scaling it further across the country.”

The reduction in the rate of Sindh sales tax (SST) on commission charged by online food delivery channels from home-based chefs will be applicable from 1st of July, for a period of two years, ending on June 30, 2024.

HomeChefs are essentially people operating out of their home kitchens who sell food through online platforms. Foodpanda, along with a few other players in the industry, currently has several thousand registered HomeChefs who have been taken on board after stringent routine checks for food hygiene, quality, safety, packaging, etc. The sector is expected to grow significantly, for example foodpanda aims to increase the HomeChefs base in the next two years and take it up to 100,000 registered HomeChefs.

Abdul Hannan: From Fresh Finds to Top of The Charts

Since Spotify launched in Pakistan over a year ago, the indie music scene has enjoyed more opportunities to have its art embraced by fans domestically and abroad. The genre’s global streams have grown by 150% on the streaming service, proving that it is here for the long haul and will continue to grow rapidly.

Abdul Hannan is an example of Pakistani indie music’s meteoric success. The Lahore singer, songwriter, guitar player, and producer has had two of his tracks, “Bikhra” and “Iraaday” trending on Spotify’s Chart, Top Songs Pakistan, with “Bikhra” peaking at 1.

Like most independent artists, Abdul Hannan’s journey on Spotify started with the Fresh Finds Pakistan playlist. The playlist launched last year and was introduced as the launch pad for up-and-coming artists beginning their careers. Since joining the Fresh Finds playlist in November 2021, Abdul Hanan’s followers increased by over 4,600%, and his average daily streams witnessed a whopping jump of 7,678% over the same period.

His fans have also been actively sharing his music on social media via their Spotify accounts, where the active daily shares have increased by 4,000%. Outside of Pakistan, Abdul Hannan has made fans in India, the US, Bangladesh and the United Kingdom.

As time progresses, who knows what melodic marvels are yet to emerge from Pakistan and to be honest, we are all ears for them. For now, discover fresh new Pakistan indie artists on Fresh Finds PK.