Friday, January 09 2026

Pakistani banking stocks top Asia-Pacific rankings
Seven Pakistani banking stocks ranked among the top performers in the Asia-Pacific region in 2025, supported by a combination of low base valuations, improving profitability, a relatively high interest-rate environment, balance-sheet clean-up, and renewed investor confidence in Pakistan’s macroeconomic outlook during the year. Pakistani banking stocks were led by the Bank of Punjab (BOP), the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Askari Bank Limited and Bank of Khyber in the top four spots according to data compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence. This is followed by United Bank Limited (UBL), Bank Makramah Limited and Faysal Bank at different spots in a list of 15 banks.
Related news categories: business economic-indicators psx stock-exchanges

Stocks open in positive, KSE-100 gains over 400 points in early trade
After a day of profit-taking, positive sentiments returned to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) as the benchmark KSE-100 Index gained over 400 points during the opening minutes of trading on Friday. At 9:40am, the benchmark index was hovering at 185,975.24, an increase of 432.23 points or 0.23%. Buying interest was observed in key sectors, including automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, fertiliser, oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs and refinery. Index-heavy stocks, including MARI, PPL, WAFI, FFC, HBL, NBP and UBL, traded in the green. On Thursday, PSX witnessed a broad-based corrective session as investors engaged in profit-taking following a sharp rally that had lifted the market to historic highs over the past several sessions. The benchmark KSE-100 Index closed at 185,543.01 points, posting a decline of 975.70 points or 0.52%.
Related news categories: business economic-indicators psx stock-exchanges

Visa discusses digitising govt payments
Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb on Thursday held a meeting with a Visa delegation led by Tareq Muhmood, Regional President for Central Europe, Middle East and Africa, to discuss advancing digital payments, financial inclusion and ongoing economic reforms in Pakistan. Aurangzeb appreciated Visa's continued engagement with Pakistan's financial sector. The discussion focused on improving macroeconomic indicators, ongoing economic stabilisation efforts and the government's priorities for achieving sustainable and inclusive growth, according to a news release.
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Govt fixes dollar rate, shifts to KIBOR for 5G
The Ministry of IT and Telecom has acknowledged long-standing demands of the telecom sector by easing payment terms and fixing exchange and interest rates in its policy directive for the upcoming next-generation mobile spectrum auction, a move that clears the way for the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to issue the Information Memorandum for existing operators and new entrants to participate in the process. Under the approved framework, the spectrum fee has been denominated in US dollars, but the exchange rate will be calculated at the National Bank of Pakistan's TT selling rate prevailing at the close of business on the day preceding the auction date. At least 50% of the spectrum price will be payable within one year of the licence issuance date, while the remaining 50% will be paid in five equal annual instalments carrying interest at the KIBOR offer rate plus three percentage points.
Related news categories: business economic-indicators tech-comm

Finance ministry admits transparency gaps in key investment projects
A Ministry of Finance report has accepted that the absence of structured transparency in the Special Investment Facilitation Council's (SIFC) initiatives could undermine policy predictability and weaken the confidence of investors. In its 240-page Prime Minister's Economic Governance Reforms Agenda, the finance ministry committed to bringing transparency in the SIFC affairs, showed the report released last week. The ministry prepared the report as part of an action plan of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Assessment. "The absence of structured transparency around strategic investment initiatives, including those facilitated through the SIFC, creates informational asymmetries that can undermine policy predictability, elevate perceived governance risks and weaken investor confidence," read the report.
Related news categories: business economic-indicators misc