Standard Chartered Bank and Haball Enter a Corporate Alliance Agreement to Digitize Value Chai

Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan Limited (SCBPL) once again combines its international expertise in digital space with its local knowledge to bring together a unique offering unlike any in the market. SCBPL has entered in a partnership with Haball, Pakistan’s first B2B Fintech with the aim to digitise supply chain collections for its clients and bring efficiencies in clients’ business processes.

SCBPL recognises that digital connectivity is a catalyst for business growth. Through partnerships, deals and collaboration, SCBPL will continue to invest in and accelerate digital offerings, working hand-in-hand with leading fintech innovators to foster fresh ideas throughout the markets. The collaboration aims to build an enabling environment to increase the uptake of digital payments using institutional vehicles. This will create digital financial inclusion in the distribution and retail space in Pakistan. Haball is the first Fintech in Pakistan to be associated with SCBPL, supported by a goal of enabling efficiency and growth in supply chain for large corporates with faster transactions.

Haball is currently working with clients of the Bank in multiple industry verticals to digitise their value chain collections, down to the retailer leg. Its services allow manufacturers and service providers to effectively reduce the reliance on cash-based transactions and automate the reconciliation process. Haball has­ augmented the adoption of digital payments and continues to contribute to the digital economy.

Shiraz Hyder, Head of Transaction Banking, SCBPL stated, “Standard Chartered is pleased to partner with Haball Pvt. Ltd.” He further said, “Technology is an enabler, and partnerships between fintechs and banks can create opportunities that neither party could deliver alone. Our partnership with Haball will enable corporates to effectively digitize their order-to-collections cycle, while providing end-to-end visibility across the value chain, through a truly bank agnostic solution.”

Omer Bin Ahsan, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Haball said, “This partnership builds the corporate trust that supply chain stakeholders need to process payments digitally. It further drives ahead Standard Chartered’s commitment towards creating a sustainable digital infrastructure for financial services in Pakistan.”

Haball is a B2B Fintech, digitizing supply chain and business payments for large corporations and institutions. Its cloud based, agnostic platform enables corporate finance, corporate sales, distributors and retailers to digitally engage with supply chain especially with ordering, invoicing, shipment, payment and financing.  The platform agnostically manages digital payment channels and shariah compliant financing so that supply chain stakeholders can make payments from the digital channels of their choice.

Global economic confidence dips amongst global accountancy and finance professionals in Q4 2021

·         Global economic growth continues, but at a more modest pace than in mid-2021

·         ACCA and IMA believe 2022 will see further progress towards a more normal economic environment, but Covid and inflation are the main risks ahead for 2022.

The latest results from a regular global survey of accountants’ and finance professionals’ views about the global economy reveals their economic confidence fell by 12 points in Q4 2021, due to the rapid spread of the Omicron Covid-19 strain.

Conducted during late November and early December 2021 at the start of the outbreak, the ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and IMA^® (Institute of Management Accountants) Global Economic Conditions Survey (GECS) shows that global orders were little changed in Q4, up just one point, signalling that growth will continue at a steady pace early in 2022.

Other key activity indicators remain relatively little changed with the capital expenditure index up one point and employment index down by six points compared to Q3 results.

GECS’ fear indices, which track concern about suppliers and customers going out of business, were also little changed in Q4 but are above pre-pandemic levels.

Michael Taylor, ACCA’s chief economist said: ‘Accountants are often the first to sense the impact of economic activity, informed by the work they do on a daily basis sustaining economies and from the feedback from their clients, especially in the small business sector. GECS reveals their concerns about costs increasing again, seeing this measure double over the course of 2021 indicating growing inflationary pressures in many markets around the world.’

Looking at specific jurisdictions, confidence fell the most in Western Europe by 28 points, which was the first region to see the rapid spread of Omicron. Confidence increased modestly in two regions – Asia Pacific by five points and North America by 10 points. Only the Middle East recorded a fall in the orders index of six points, with South Asia showing the biggest increase at +8 points.

The biggest economic risk this year is that inflation, already elevated, stays higher for longer, partly because of prolonged supply shortages. Upside surprises to inflation would trigger a greater degree of monetary tightening than is currently discounted by financial markets. The effect would be to slow global economic growth, preventing a return to its pre-pandemic trend.

For emerging markets, the 2022 picture is mixed, says Michael Taylor: ‘Some emerging markets have made progress, while others, such as South Africa and Indonesia, have suffered renewed economic contraction. Overall, their recovery to the pre-pandemic trend rate of growth remains hampered by a lack of fiscal capacity and slow progress with vaccination.’

The Q4 edition of GECS has a special article looking at the opportunities for economic development and growth for Emerging Markets (Ems) - the digital revolution and investing to meet Net Zero carbon emissions. These are two areas where EMs could boost productivity and resume the catch-up of incomes per head with advanced economies.

Michael Taylor concluded: ‘Adoption of digital technology by EMs can drive down costs and stimulate domestic demand and productivity – the driver of long-term economic growth. But there remains a need for basic infrastructure investment in EM countries, notably fast and reliable internet access. The declared goal of achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050 offers investment opportunities that would bring wider economic benefits and help boost potential growth. This investment needs to be concentrated in the energy sector, the source of a large proportion of current EM CO2 emissions. Moreover, as EM economies grow, their energy consumption is set to rise strongly.’

GECS Q4 2021 can be found here: https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/professional-insights/global-economics/gecs_q4_2021.html

Haleeb Foods organized a donation drive for Akhuwat Foundation in collaboration with UMT

   

Haleeb Foods Limited recently joined hands with the University of Management & Technology (UMT) to conduct a Winter Clothing Donation Drive for Akhuwat Foundation. This donation drive was held for 3 days, highlighting the importance of helping out and giving back to society, encouraging students to donate winter clothing for the underprivileged.

Akhuwat Foundation’s clothing bank helps many families in need and HFL takes pride in being associated with this charitable cause. Sharing her view on this collaboration the Corporate Communications Manager, Haleeb Foods – Ms. Amur Nadeem said: “We at HFL are thankful to the donors who actively participated to help the people suffering in these severe weather conditions. Haleeb Foods is highly committed towards the wellbeing and betterment of the society, helping the local community and supporting social causes.”

The company continues in its mission to lend a helping hand to the community and give back to the society as part of their multiple CSR initiatives.     

ENGLAND’S BALLON D’OR WINNER MICHAEL OWEN JETS INTO PAKISTAN TO UNVEIL GSV’S PAKISTAN’S FIRST EVER SOCCER CITY

       

England’s gem Michael Owen, as the official Ambassador of Global Soccer Ventures (GSV) jets into Pakistan. The crown jewel of Liverpool lands in Islamabad on 25 January 2022 to begin football transformation. In a series of high profile engagements and events Michael will explain his vision to overhaul football in Pakistan as GSV.

Michael will meet the PM Imran Khan and his Special Assistant Usman Dar to outline GSV’s football transformation programme for Pakistan. He will attend a meet and greet session with the Army Chief and conclude his Islamabad visit at a high profile presidential reception hosted by Dr Arif Alvi at The President House.

In Karachi, on 26 January 2022, Michael Owen will attend a press conference at NED University to officially hold a ground breaking ceremony and release images to the world of Pakistan’s first ever Soccer City.

Michael Owen said, “I am really excited to be at the helm of Pakistan’s largest football transformation programme and delighted to be discharged with the responsibility to take football to a whole new level in Pakistan”.

Zabe Khan CEO of GSV said, “There is not much to say when England’s pride and joy takes the top job to revive football in Pakistan. Michael has been a very loyal servant to Liverpool and his commitment and loyalty to making Pakistan a successful football nation seems relentless”.

Yasir `Mahmood Group Chairman of GSV said, “It is a great honour for Pakistan to welcome Michael Owen to a country which needs a professional direction with football. This change is set to kick off with a player like Michael Owen and all I can say exciting times with football lie ahead”.

Football is here to stay with GSV master plan by implementation of its strategy for Pakistan. GSV will develop a sustainable grass-roots plan, devise a Talent ID programme for international development in Europe, create lucrative professional pathways with international football contracts offering a career changing lifestyle for the super talented, develop a state of the art stadium starting with Karachi as the flagship soccer city at NED University featuring world class sport science development and ultimately creating a sensational franchise football league in Pakistan’s very own theatre of dreams.

Bookme CEO Faizan Aslam attended National SME Policy meeting at Prime Minister House

   

Bookme.pk’s CEO Mr. Faizan Aslam was invited by Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday for the launch of National Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) policy, along with other officials of Startups and Young Entrepreneurs. In the light of growing concerns regarding e-commerce, the discussion revolved around creating a startup-friendly ecosystem to unleash the huge potential of e-commerce and tech sector of the country.  

The Prime Minister avowed to take fresh incentives for the expansion of e-commerce startups, which he claimed had been ignored in the past. He also pledged to take a grim action against government departments and officials who created hindrance in emplacement of new startups and export-oriented businesses. 

In the meeting, PM Khan also shared the fact that the SME sector was an extensive source of employment and had a significant impact on wealth creation. In this regard he also supported saying, “We are giving SMEs bank credit facilities, land for their businesses on lease and [are committed to] eradicate red tapism.”

PM Khan also appreciated the fact that USD $3 Billion investment came in the country from abroad by growing e-commerce startups including Bookme. He also thanked the tech sector for being a massive part of the record-breaking rise in exports, remittances and tax collection figures. 

Minister of Information, Ch. Fawad Hussain, Industries Minister Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiyar, Planning Minister Asad Umar were also present at the meeting. Advisor for Commerce, Textile, Industry, and Production and Investment of Pakistan, Mr. Abdul Razak Dawood declared that such meetings will often take place to disentangle economic problems for the e-commerce ecosystem and to take preferable measures despite all challenges.

Overcome the challenges of online schooling with HUAWEI WiFi AX2 home router

       

The transition between the physical classroom and online learning has been difficult for many, facing barriers such as technical issues, computer literacy, and increased distractions. 

To ensure that students can continue to study while studying at home, a reliable, controllable, and easy-to-use Wi-Fi connection is more essential than ever. HUAWEI WiFi AX2 is a Wi-Fi 6 home router that provides faster speeds, greater capacity, and reduced network congestion so everyone can work and learn at home without worrying about disconnecting in the middle of a video call.

Setting up the HUAWEI WiFi AX2

Setting up a HUAWEI WiFi AX2 has been made even easier with adaptive WAN/LAN ports, meaning you can quickly install the router without having to understand the technology and make sure your children make the most of online class.

When researching what users wanted from the HUAWEI WiFi AX2, it was discovered that many users do not know the difference between a WAN port and LAN port. This means that when a user is setting up a router, the cables may be connected to the wrong port, resulting in a connection failure. Therefore, HUAWEI WiFi AX2 has three automatically adaptive WAN/LAN ports that distinguish between WAN and LAN cables, making the setting up of the router simple. It only takes two easy steps. 

Wi-Fi 6

HUAWEI WiFi AX2 is a Wi-Fi 6 home router, this means that the router optimizes the network when many devices are connected. So, no matter how many members of the family need to be on video calls for online classes, every device will continue to receive a fast and reliable Wi-Fi connection. Wi-Fi 6 uses new technologies to relieve the issues of having a smart home with multiple devices on a single network.

HUAWEI Mesh+

HUAWEI WiFi AX2 includes HUAWEI Mesh+, a blanket term that covers several HUAWEI routing networking features. With HUAWEI Mesh+, you can combine individual HUAWEI WiFi routers to form a collaborative Wi-Fi network, allowing for greater scalability and a better user experience. When attending online classes using HUAWEI WiFi AX2 with HUAWEI Mesh+, students won’t be dropping out unexpectedly due to Wi-Fi connectivity issues.

Traditional mesh distributed routers provide Wi-Fi coverage through multi-node networking, where connected devices can freely search for the node with the best signal for data transmission. However, the algorithms that allow nodes to hand over signals are generally based solely on signal strength, rather than the requirement of the service using Wi-Fi. For example, if your children need to use a video calling service to attend their class, the Wi-Fi will connect to the strongest Wi-Fi rather than the one that has the optimum power for video calls. This, therefore, impacts user experience through frequent buffering.

HUAWEI’s WiFi AX2 features Super Seamless Roaming, included in HUAWEI Mesh+. Super Seamless Roaming uses seven roaming algorithms to ensure that your device switches seamlessly between hotspots as you walk around the house. If your children want to do morning classes in the living room and afternoon classes in their bedroom, this is no problem for HUAWEI WiFi AX2. 

HUAWEI AI Life app

The HUAWEI WiFi AX2 comes with the HUAWEI AI Life app preinstalled, making it easy to manage routers and connected devices for a more user-friendly experience than with other routers. The HUAWEI AI Life app provides visualized Wi-Fi management[1] such as selecting Wi-Fi mode, detecting signal strength, allowing guest connections, parental controls, and much more.

With parental controls, you can protect your children from potential online threats, even when you’re not at home.

With a few taps on your phone, HUAWEI WiFi AX2 can block out inappropriate websites and manage time spent online. Therefore, when your children are online working all day, with HUAWEI’s WiFi AX2 you can ensure that they are not distracted by watching videos online or playing internet-based games. This feature also means that you can rest assured that while your children are on the internet, they will be protected.

Privacy protection and security

Cybersecurity is essential, especially for children that are using their devices and sharing information with their teachers and classmates all day. The HUAWEI WiFi AX2 effectively protects user privacy through powerful security functions.

The HUAWEI WiFi AX2 can distinguish between incorrect passwords entered by a user and passwords entered by a bot or hacker, and if the number of incorrect Wi-Fi passwords exceeds a certain amount, the HUAWEI WiFi AX2 prevents the device from connecting to the router for some time. With HUAWEI WiFi AX2, you can be safe in the knowledge that your children’s devices are well protected from brute force attacks, so they can continue to learn online, and you can have peace of mind.

Additionally, users can set block-lists and trust lists, to signal the devices allowed on the WiFi network and limit access to a list of trusted devices to further protect user privacy and security.

HUAWEI WiFi AX2

Since the introduction of the virtual classroom, the online school has been difficult. With HUAWEI’s WiFi AX2, you gain an easy-to-install home router that provides reliable Wi-Fi that seamlessly transitions between rooms. With HUAWEI’s AI Life app, parents can have a picture of the network environment and reduce distractions. Wi-Fi 6 optimizes the network’s usage and HarmonyOS Mesh+ combines individual Huawei Wi-Fi routers to form a collaborative network. The learning from home experience has been made more reliable and valuable with HUAWEI WiFi AX2.

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[1] Requires an OTA update.

Beaconhouse School System hosts the 3rd Learner Agency Paradigm Conference in Karachi

   

Beaconhouse, the country’s largest network of private educational institutions, successfully hosted its third Learner Agency Paradigm (LAP) Conference, at Beaconhouse’s Defence Campus in the south region, Karachi. This LAP Conference 2022 was attended by Beaconhouse School System’s (BSS) learners, teachers and employees and is the third installment from its series of conferences that were introduced early last year.

The LAP Conference 2022 was held to cultivate learner agency – a concept gaining momentum in educational institutions as a way of fostering learners’ abilities to navigate their way through life in a positive manner, creating a significant impact on their circumstances. A total of 165 project submissions were received nationwide out of which 10 learner projects were showcased in the Karachi conference. The projects focused on various initiatives undertaken by students to become active contributors to their surroundings.

The session also included a virtual address from Kasim Kasuri, Chief Executive Officer, Beaconhouse, who stated during the event, “Learner Agency has quickly become an important aspect of the education being imparted at Beaconhouse campuses nationwide. The concept gives students responsibility over their own learning, empowering them to develop a voice and take purpose-driven initiatives. There is no shortage of students wanting to take charge and bring a change around them, and as an educator I am proud to see them taking ownership through these LAP conferences.”

Among the 10 projects, the ‘Taleem Sub Ka Bunyadi Haq’ initiative was undertaken by BSS students in Quetta to raise awareness and support teaching programmes for girls in Balochistan in order to tackle low literacy rates for women. Under the project ‘Charagh-e-Ilm’, students were inspired to give back to society as active learners and participators, by developing a comprehensive and high quality education programme aimed to increase the knowledge base of BSS support staff in schools.

‘The Battle of Multiple Intelligence’ project presented by middle school students introduced a ground-breaking competition between campuses targeting multiple intelligence levels of learners such as their visual, research, analytical, creative, critical, and digital skills. Other project themes included science, literature, fitness and health, entrepreneurship, cyber currency, and Covid-19 challenges.

The LAP conferences are an effort by BSS to empower students, ensuring that learners are equipped with the right skills to address challenging circumstances, and prepare them to meaningfully influence their world as global citizens and future leaders. The Beaconhouse School System has a legacy of 46 years of educational expertise and currently has over 315,000 students.