Technology – Page 124 – Pakistan Tech News

Emirates to introduce Premium Economy to five more cities with newly retrofitted A380s starting from December

Emirates today announced plans to debut its newly retrofitted A380s featuring its latest Premium Economy cabins to five new cities from December – New York JFK, San Francisco, Melbourne, Auckland and Singapore. The airline will also add more Premium Economy seats on services to London Heathrow and Sydney, as its newly enhanced aircraft sporting refreshed cabins roll into scheduled service.

The airline aims to offer customers more opportunities to experience its highly acclaimed Premium Economy product, and its latest deployment plans will also see 85 A380s back in the sky by December, well-timed to serve the year-end travel demand.

Emirates’ enhanced A380s with Premium Economy to New York JFK, San Francisco, Melbourne, Auckland and Singapore will operate as follows:

To New York JFK, Emirates will operate with its newly retrofitted A380 on EK203 and EK 204, starting from 1 December.
To Auckland, Emirates will debut its Premium Economy cabin on EK 448 and EK 449, starting 15 January 2023.
From 1 February 2023, Melbourne will become the second Australian destination to be served with the signature Emirates A380 featuring Premium Economy. Services will be deployed on EK 406 and EK 407.
San Francisco will become the second US destination to be served by the retrofitted A380 with refreshed interiors on EK 225 and EK 226, starting on 15 February 2023.
Emirates’ enhanced A380 with Premium Economy will land in Singapore for the first time on 1 March 2023, operating as EK 354 and EK 355.

Emirates will also update its schedules to London Heathrow, Sydney and New York JFK with its retrofitted A380 aircraft operating on the following services:

From 15 December 2022, Sydney will become the first city in the Emirates network to offer Premium Economy seats on all flights, with the introduction of the airline’s retrofitted aircraft on EK 414 and EK 415.
From 1 January 2023, London Heathrow will receive its third daily service with Premium Economy, with the new product debuting on EK 005 and EK 006.
From 15 March 2023, Emirates will operate its second A380 with Premium Economy to New York JFK on EK 201 and EK 202.
Emirates will also start A380 services with a Premium Economy debut to Christchurch from 26 March 2023, as an extension of the Dubai to Sydney service, operating with EK 412 and EK 413.

Scaling up A380 operations

With travel demand the strongest it’s been in more than two years, Emirates will provide customers more choice and a better experience as it ramps up A380 services to 42 destinations by the end of March 2023. In tandem, the airline is optimising its network to meet robust demand and enhancing its existing schedules to over 400 A380 departures from Dubai, offering 460,000 weekly A380 seats by March 2023, including 81,000 seats across its premium cabins, offering the very best in customer comfort.

By year end, the airline will be serving close to a third of its network with its flagship on 85 A380s as it unlocks more destinations like Houston, Bengaluru, Perth, Auckland, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, with additional cities to be announced in the coming weeks. With an expanded list of cities, Emirates will have recovered 75% of its pre-pandemic A380 network. The airline is also adding frequencies to popular cities already served by its flagship, bringing greater resiliency and stability to its operation.

Raising the bar for premium air travel

Since Emirates debuted its Premium Economy Class to London, Paris and Sydney, customer response has been overwhelmingly positive with demand exceeding expectations, demonstrating its appeal and willingness of travellers to trade-up and try the quiet luxury and meticulously customised experience it offers.

On a four-class Emirates A380, the Premium Economy cabin is located at the front of the main deck with 56 seats laid out in a 2-4-2 configuration. In the cabin, every inch of space anticipates customer needs with a generous seat pitch and width for working and relaxing, and customised features that offer function and convenience like in-seat charging points and a side cocktail table. The experience is rounded off with expertly curated in-flight amenities, an inventive menu and extensive beverage options.

The Emirates A380 experience has long been taking passenger comfort to new levels, with an extensive suite of products that turn the journey itself into a destination, including one of the industry’s largest screens for customers to enjoy the airline’s award-winning in-flight entertainment system, ice. Customers travelling in First and Business Class cabins can enjoy the aircraft’s signature features such as the popular Onboard Lounge and fully flat seats in Business Class, as well as private suites and Shower Spas in First Class.

Emirates recently announced plans to kick-off of its fleet retrofit programme, consisting of a multi-billion dollar investment to ensure customers continue to have the best experience in the sky. Starting from November, the airline will begin intensive work to upgrade and retrofit the interior cabins of 67 Airbus A380 and 53 Boeing 777 aircraft, with one aircraft rolling out into service every 16 days. By 2025, nearly 4,000 new Premium Economy seats will be installed, 728 First Class suites refurbished and over 5,000 Business Class seats upgraded to a new style and design.

Emirates is the world’s largest operator of the A380, with 118 double-decker aircraft in its fleet. Since A6-EVF, the first A380 reactivated in 2020 began flying, the operating fleet has clocked in more than 31,000 trips worldwide, carrying over 10 million passengers.

NdcTech exhibited its offerings at ITCN Asia, one of the biggest IT conferences in Pakistan

NdcTech, a wholly owned subsidiary of Systems Limited and one of the fastest-growing consulting companies exhibited its offerings at ITCN Asia, one of the biggest IT conferences in Pakistan. The company’s experts shared insights on how NdcTech is building banks of the future by accelerating their mission-critical digital transformations.

While addressing the audience at ITCN Asia, Mr. Asif Peer CEO, Managing Director & Member of the Board of Systems Limited said; “The success stories of Pakistan need to be highlighted globally. We need to market our country and IT sector in the world. “

Around 500 companies had set stalls in the exhibition to showcase solutions for various important fields of IT and Telecom sector including Cloud, Data Centre, Cyber security, ERP, Education, Banking and Finance, Health and Pharmaceutical, Ecommerce, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics with a focus on networking, knowledge sharing and lead generation.

Fawad Ur Rehman, Chief Enterprise Architect‐Enabling Modernization shared his thoughts in an insightful panel discussion on Cloud Banking: “As the volume of transactions are rapidly increasing, NdcTech ensures that Banks are armed with the right skills, technology, security measures and elasticity of architecture.”

The event proved to be a great platform to connect with banking and technology experts in Pakistan.

Covering priorities for a worry-free pilgrimage

Every year thousands of Muslims travel to holy lands for Hajj, Umrah, and Ziarat. What worries many pilgrims are emergencies which may happen in a foreign land, and this is valid stress because so much can go wrong during travelling. From losing passports and important documents to medical emergencies, any type of crisis or unforeseen mishap can happen, so it makes sense to have a substitute plan in place. A pilgrim’s spiritual journey should be stress-free from all worldly affairs.

As the times and needs are changing, companies are working aggressively to develop new policies and products to ease the concerns of pilgrims. It is recommended that all the pilgrims take necessary precautions while travelling for their religious expeditions, as the crowds there are huge, and it is common for health emergencies to occur.

Regarding the importance of having comprehensive cover during the pilgrimage, we spoke to Mr. Akif Zia Malik, HOD Corporate Business Solutions, TPL Insurance, about their insurance policy, he said, “While we are in Pakistan, we have family members, friends, or relatives to help us financially in case of any mishaps or unforeseen circumstances but travelling can quickly become challenging in this regard. TPL Insurance focuses on making travel insurance easy and accessible, so our customers are covered, be it for hospitalization, loss of baggage, loss of passport or other travel-related issues. It costs minimal compared to the total cost of the trip but gives 100% peace of mind.”

Travel insurance policies typically provide coverage such as the financial security of the policyholder, whether their trip is 15, 30, or 45 days long. Since this is a specialized product, it not only secures the loss of cash and checked-in baggage but also ensures emergency medical expenses and hospitalization, covering travellers in different types of unfortunate circumstances such as the pilgrim being critically injured or in the event of their death. Shariah Compliant coverages are also available with Takaful options. The premiums can be as low as PKR 200 for 15 days of worry-free travel.

Are you planning your holy expedition? Secure yourself with a cover that suits you and experience a worry-free pilgrimage.

To get more information on Travel Insurance and Takaful, click the attached link https://tplinsurance.com/products/travel-direct

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.

Martin Dow bleeds green to save lives

Karachi: Martin Dow, a leading multinational pharmaceutical company of Pakistan commenced the 75th year of the country’s independence with a cause to save lives by carrying out a blood donation drive in collaboration with Indus Hospital.

Blood shortages are particularly acute in developing countries across much of the subcontinent, and Pakistan is no exception. Adequate and reliable supply of safe blood can only be assured through a stable base of regular, voluntary, and unpaid blood donors.

The primary goal was to facilitate the patients with blood donations for surgery, chronic illnesses, cancer treatment, and transfusions for blood loss from traumatic injuries. The donation drive was efficiently managed at Martin Dow Group Corporate Office starting from 9:30 am to 5:00 pm.

Expressing his views about these camps, Shahrukh Masood, Group Director HR & Corp Comms, said, ‘Martin Dow believes that the opportunity marks a true test of leaders’ commitment to save lives and accelerate progress towards health care for all in our lifetime. The leadership has realized that their commitment to safety is higher than ever. A single bottle of blood can save 13 lives. Every donation makes a difference. Not only is this cause necessary, but also more important as it enhances social solidarity. It sends a powerful message of mutual aid, civic commitment and social buy-in to Health for All. For healthy adults, blood donation is not only safe, but provides a sense of belonging and pride, as well as a free health check-up.’

Highlighting the need for an adequate and reliable supply of safe blood, Shahrukh Masood stressed on the importance of raising awareness for safe blood and blood products for transfusion. The theme ‘Bleed Green’ was selected to highlight the critical contribution that unpaid blood donors make to national health systems, and to promote solidarity in voluntary blood donations.

Martin Dow rolled out a complete program for the volunteers to review the guidelines before, during, and after the blood donation, such as being mindful of hydration, eating healthy food, getting enough sleep, avoiding rigorous physical activity, and skipping smoking at least 30 minutes before and after the donation.

Finance Minister launches “EMLAAK Financials”, Pakistan’s first digital Mutual Fund aggregator developed by CDC

As a landmark and first of its kind initiative in Pakistan’s capital market landscape, “Emlaak Financials” the first digital aggregator platform for mutual funds has been formally inaugurated by the Honorable Federal Minister for Finance & Revenue, Dr. Miftah Ismail on Aug 5, 2022 at CDC House, Karachi. This platform has been successfully implemented as a digital distribution channel initially for Mutual Funds and later on for other asset classes also.

The Pilot project for Emlaak was initially launched in 2021 for the Sahulat account opening via the platform, after which CDC has continued to abide by its commitment to collaborate with the Mutual Fund Industry for enhancing the platform. The full-fledged account opening feature has now been launched via this online investment portal which is the first of its kind in Pakistan allowing multiple funds from different AMCs to be offered to investors through a single platform.

While officiating the event, Honorable Federal Minister for Finance & Revenue Dr. Miftah Ismail said, “Emlaak Financials, which has been implemented as a digital aggregator of Mutual Funds, is a very important and timely initiative by SECP and very well executed by CDC. It is very important for our economy that we should introduce such novel concepts which will promote the investment culture in Pakistan and provide an easy and informative platform to the investors thus enabling them to make wise investment decisions while giving them the convenience to open their mutual fund accounts digitally from anywhere without having to visit the brick & mortar offices of Asset Management Companies.”

While addressing the occasion, Mr. Aamir Khan—Chairman SECP said, “It is indeed a very important milestone for the Mutual Fund Industry as it embarks on this consolidated digital distribution channel launched for the first time in Pakistan. We, at SECP, are strong proponents of re-engineering processes for promoting efficiency and transparency through digitalization and will continue to support and encourage all such initiatives by providing all the required Regulatory assistance in this regard.

Mr. Moin Fudda, Chairman of CDC’s Board of Directors, welcomed the Finance Minister and others guests after which CEO MUFAP Ms. Mashmooma Majeed addressed the audience. At the occasion, describing the objectives of the platform, Mr. Badiuddin Akber—CEO CDC said, “Emlaak Financials has been envisioned to pave the way for the growth of the Mutual Fund Industry and promote the savings culture in Pakistan at the grass-root level. CDC is committed towards providing innovative tech-based platforms to Capital Market entities through which they can leverage CDC’s technological edge to enhance their investor outreach in a convenient, informative and interactive manner.”

The event was also attended by Director SECP – Ms. Khalda Habib, representatives of the Asset Management Industry and other Industry representatives, who lauded CDC’s efforts in undertaking this initiative and playing its role for the development of the mutual fund industry.

Supernet and Trend Micro Awarded Threat Protection System Project in Pakistan worth PKR 450 Million

Supernet Limited (“Supernet”) announced today in conjunction with their Japanese technology partner Trend Micro Incorporated (“Trend Micro”) that they have been awarded a new multi-year project for the acclaimed “Tipping Point” Threat Protection System (TPS) by a major Pakistani customer valued at over PKR 450 million.

Trend Micro’s Tipping Point Threat Protection System (TPS) is a powerful network security platform that offers comprehensive threat protection against known and undisclosed vulnerabilities with high accuracy. The TPS uses a combination of technologies, including deep packet inspection, threat reputation, URL reputation, and advanced malware analysis on a flow-by-flow basis to detect and prevent attacks on the network. The TPS enables enterprises to take a proactive approach to security, providing comprehensive contextual awareness and deeper analysis of network traffic providing the visibility and agility necessary to keep pace with today’s dynamic and evolving enterprise and data center networks.

Trend Micro’s and Supernet’s combined solution successfully addressed the customer’s stringent requirements for state-of-the-art throughput and latency parameters, as well as addressed challenging scalability and business continuity criteria. In addition, Trend Micro’s leadership in cybersecurity research through its flagship “Zero Day Initiative” as well as Supernet’s local presence and experience of implementation, integration and post delivery services provide the customer continuous assurance around innovation and access to cutting edge cybersecurity knowledge base.

Ali Akhtar. Supernet’s Head of BU, Telecoms & Defense stated, “We are thrilled to be playing a prominent role in firming up the defenses of Pakistani organizations against network security threats. To this end Supernet and Trend Micro have been working very closely over the past year and this new project is a testament to these joint efforts. With the expanding relationship between our two organizations, we’re charging full steam ahead to address the needs of the Pakistan market.”

Mr. Chee Hoh Goh, Trend Micro Incorporated’s Managing Director (Malaysia, Pakistan, CLM) stated, “Pakistan as one of the major cybersecurity markets in the region is a special area of focus for Trend Micro. In Pakistan, Trend Micro has extensively expanded the in-country operations in last few years, with focused investments in developing our local partnerships and distribution infrastructure. We have been working closely with our partner Supernet to bring innovative solutions to Pakistan and it is encouraging to see that we are becoming a trusted partner for many key organizations across all market segments in the country.”

About Supernet Limited

Supernet Limited, one of Pakistan’s leading telecommunications service provider and systems integrator, has been operating since 1995. Supernet offers a full portfolio of local-to-global integrated communications infrastructure solutions to Telecoms, Defense, Enterprise and Government entities. Supernet’s “Connectivity” products and services include a broad spectrum of Wide Area Network (WAN) and Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) solutions based on satellite, fiber optics, microwave, and radios. In recent years, Supernet has established its expertise in domains including cybersecurity, power, networking, and surveillance solutions as part of its “Beyond Connectivity” initiative thereby offering a richer portfolio of solutions and services to customers. For more information, please visit www.super.net.pk

About Trend Micro Incorporated

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro’s cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.TrendMicro.com.

Falcon-i’s new WhatsApp feature makes tracking user friendly

Falcon-i is Pakistan’s leading fleet management company, offering IoT (Internet of Things) based solutions that enable clients to monitor the movement and safety of their automobiles with more control, and is playing a significant role in transforming country’s digital ecosystem.

Today, WhatsApp has more than 2 billion monthly active users globally. It is ranked among the most popular mobile messenger apps in the world. Pakistan has also witnessed a large-scale smartphone adoption, along with 4G connections. Every day more than 100 billion messages are sent and received on WhatsApp.

Understanding the utility and usefulness of WhatsApp in present times, Falcon-i launched a landmark feature of live location on its WhatsApp Bot in August 2021, which has been a great success amongst the users. Today more than 70% of our customers access their location directly via WhatsApp.

To further facilitate the user with hassle-free management of their vehicle, Falcon-i has added another feature to its WhatsApp Bot. “PRE-INFO” allows the vehicle owner complete control of the automated geofence and battery tamper alerts in a few simple steps.

This new feature places alert management right at customers’ fingertips whilst travelling intercity or while taking the vehicle for periodic maintenance.

“Falcon-i has always focused on providing state-of-the-art service to its customers. We have the expertise and unparalleled technical infrastructure to provide the best services in the industry. Falcon-i is moving towards digitization to stay competitive and equipped for the future and we believe that with these changes our customers will have a better experience in terms of service and quality.

We are the first in the industry to introduce a WhatsApp support channel which is a pivotal step to facilitate customers and make their lives easier by providing a swift, secure, and easy to use platform.” Najeeb Ur Rehman, VP – Tracking Services

The vehicle tracking solutions provided by Falcon-i utilize superior European technology for seamless tracking. The Geofencing solutions alert customers when vehicles exit major cities, and their industry leading vehicle recovery services assist customers in case of theft.

Falcon-i is the country’s largest privately-owned fleet management company, monitoring assets of over 2 billion US dollars. It has built trust amongst 160,000 customers and empowered over 100 corporate enterprises by providing insights on driver behavior, fleet performance, vehicle usage and diagnostics.

ABHI, Unveel.io to offer Earned Wage Access to Ride-hailing and Delivery Drivers in Pakistan and UAE

ABHI, a Pakistan-based fintech and Unveel.io, a UAE-based API-Widget are combining their expertise to offer the facility of Earned Wage Access to ride-hailing and delivery drivers in Pakistan and UAE for the first time.

As the world economy struggles to get back on the rails, this comes as a ray of hope for workers. Hundreds of thousands of workers who were previously at the mercy of pay cycles over which they had no control are now better placed to manage the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, thanks to the combined efforts of Unveel.io, an acknowledged expert in API payroll data, and ABHI, whose Earned Wage Access solutions have placed them at the head of their fields.

These two companies ensure that workers will now be able to access their earnings in real-time and be paid for their services on the same day, rather than be paid after a whole month. This will allow them to be in more control of their finances and lead a more productive and stress-free life.

Max Moscicki, Vice President of Unveel.io, said:

“Our philosophy is that once you have earned something, you should have access to it right away, and Unveel’s real-time data enables that. Anything else is basically not giving you what you deserve. Having to wait for a distant payday is something that many gig workers cannot comfortably do, nor should they have to.

Ride-hailing drivers and delivery couriers are some of the hardest working people out there, and we think that they deserve straightforward access to the fruits of their labor on their own terms.”

Omair Ansari, CEO, and Co-founder of ABHI, said:

“Employees should no longer have to feel ashamed to ask for the money they rightly deserve. Through our Earned Wage Access product, people can acquire their earnings instantly, which we believe is a basic human right. We are thrilled to partner with Unveel.io and believe that this partnership will open newer avenues to financially empower working individuals, enabling them to live a happier, healthier, and more productive life.”

About Unveel:

An acknowledged expert in API payroll data based in UAE, which gives you real-time income and work history data for 65 million gig workers around the world. With a secure gig platform infrastructure to enable seamless access to financial and employment data across 150+ countries, their coverage is growing monthly and they are continually adding and testing the latest gig platforms.

Paymob and NIFT Sign Agreement to Securely Enable Digital Payments in Pakistan

Paymob, the leading omni-channel financial services platform in the MENAP region, signed an agreement with National Institutional Facilitation Technologies (NIFT) to facilitate digital payments in Pakistan and to secure payment transfers. Under the agreement, Paymob will enable digital payments for their merchants using the NIFT ePay payment platform which supports account, wallet, and card-based payments.

Paymob’s payment infrastructure enables SMEs to accept digital payments online and in-store whilst providing them better access to financial services. As an API integrator, Paymob’s gateway sits on merchants’ websites to facilitate payment capture. In addition to conventional bank cards, Paymob merchants will have access to mobile wallets, QR payments, bank card installment plans, and Buy-Now Pay-Later (BNPL) options all of which serve to drive an increased volume of transactions and revenue.

Paymob plans to extend its Tap-on-Phone payment acceptance service to the Pakistan market. The company will also launch cards to enable B2B transactions for its merchants and build tools for merchants to better manage and grow their business.

NIFT was established in 1995 as a joint venture between six major Pakistani banks and entrepreneurs from the private sector. It is the leading Payment System Operator (PSO) in Pakistan for cheque clearing and is the country’s foremost Digital Payment Gateway, providing an electronic platform for clearing, processing, and switching electronic transactions in Pakistan under the brand name NIFT ePay.

Haidar Wahab, CEO of NIFT commented, “NIFT continues to play an important and proactive role in streamlining Pakistan’s payment system. As promoters of financial technology, NIFT is committed to delivering an efficient, secured, and convenient digital payment system in which our economic growth can further thrive. This new partnership with Paymob opens a range of exciting new possibilities for Pakistan’s payment infrastructure and puts it at the cutting edge of innovation in this space.”

Fawad Abdul Kader, Country Manager of Paymob in Pakistan mentioned, “We are proud to partner with NIFT ePay which will serve to drive ecommerce by making a variety of payment options available to merchants all across Pakistan. SMEs are the engines of growth in any economy and this partnership with NIFT ePay will serve to fuel that growth and drive revenue in today’s digital economy.”