Business & Commerce


Iranian Rial Depreciates Further as Central Bank of Iran Adjusts Official Exchange Rates

Iranian Rial Depreciates Further as Central Bank of Iran Adjusts Official Exchange Rates

KARACHI/TEHRAN — The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) announced its official foreign exchange rates, revealing…

By
Yamna Shahid
NAB Launches Parallel Corruption Inquiry Into Rs8.5 Billion Karachi BRT Yellow Line Irregularities

NAB Launches Parallel Corruption Inquiry Into Rs8.5 Billion Karachi BRT Yellow Line Irregularities

KARACHI — The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Karachi has initiated a formal inquiry into alleged…

By
Yamna Shahid
In a First, NEPRA Awards Parallel Power Distribution and SoLR Licences to DHA City Karachi

In a First, NEPRA Awards Parallel Power Distribution and SoLR Licences to DHA City Karachi

ISLAMABAD — In a landmark regulatory shift, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on…

By
Yamna Shahid
Short-Term Inflation Climbs 9.66% Annually as Daily Fuel Price Hikes Broaden Economic Pressures

Short-Term Inflation Climbs 9.66% Annually as Daily Fuel Price Hikes Broaden Economic Pressures

ISLAMABAD — Short-term inflation in Pakistan, measured via the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), registered a…

By
Yamna Shahid
Private Importers Oppose State-Led Wheat Procurement Scheme, Warning of Multi-Billion Rupee Losses

Private Importers Oppose State-Led Wheat Procurement Scheme, Warning of Multi-Billion Rupee Losses

KARACHI — Private sector cereal importers have raised serious alarms over recent regulatory proposals suggesting…

By
Yamna Shahid
Fuel Prices Rebound: Petrol and Diesel Rates Hiked Amid Persian Gulf Tensions

Fuel Prices Rebound: Petrol and Diesel Rates Hiked Amid Persian Gulf Tensions

ISLAMABAD — The federal government on Friday increased the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel…

By
Yamna Shahid
Federal Tax Ombudsman Exposes Major Systemic Loophole in FBR's FASTER Refund System

Federal Tax Ombudsman Exposes Major Systemic Loophole in FBR’s FASTER Refund System

ISLAMABAD — The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO), Zafar Hijazi, has identified a critical systemic flaw…

By
Yamna Shahid
Finance Ministry Slashes Development Loan Mark-up by 5.85% Following Central Bank Policy Cuts

Finance Ministry Slashes Development Loan Mark-up by 5.85% Following Central Bank Policy CutsISLAMABAD — The federal government on Friday announced a substantial reduction of 5.85 percentage points in the mark-up rate chargeable on cash development loans (CDLs) and advances for the fiscal year 2025–26. According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Finance, the rate has been set at 11.89 percent, down from 17.74 percent in FY25 and 17.84 percent in FY24. The drop is directly attributed to the easing of the State Bank of Pakistan’s benchmark policy rate, which receded from its historic 22 percent peak down to 11.5 percent. This newly adjusted 11.89 percent interest rate will also apply globally to federal loans and advances disbursed to government employees for house construction and transport purchases. Despite this fiscal relief, the updated mark-up remains roughly 15.4 percent higher than the 10.30 percent baseline recorded in FY21. Over a longer horizon, these federal borrowing rates have surged by nearly 175 percent since FY17, when the rate stood at just 6.54 percent. This lending structure functions as a lucrative revenue channel for the federal apparatus, which typically contracts foreign development loans from international lenders at concessionary rates near 2 percent before on-lending them to provincial governments, Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan, and public sector enterprises (PSEs) at significantly higher mark-ups. Through this system, the federal government generated approximately Rs164 billion in interest revenue during FY26, following a massive collection of Rs245 billion in FY25.

ISLAMABAD — The federal government on Friday announced a substantial reduction of 5.85 percentage points…

By
Yamna Shahid