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Business

Listed and private companies, deals, results and the people running them.

Data card: Approved financing under Pakistan's Apna Ghar scheme rose 94% to Rs279 billion by mid-August 2026, but only Rs38 billion has been disbursed across 7,600 loans from nearly 139,000 applications

Housing Approvals Jumped 94%. One Rupee in Seven Has Reached a Borrower.

Approved financing under the PM's Apna Ghar scheme rose 94% to Rs279 billion. Only Rs38 billion has actually been disbursed, to 7,600 of nearly 139,000 applicants.
26 Aug
Data card: easypaisa reported profit before tax of Rs8.26 billion in H1 2026, 2.27 times a year earlier, with deposits up 67.4% to Rs158.58 billion and an advances-to-deposit ratio of 18.63% across more than 60 million registered users

easypaisa’s Profit More Than Doubled. It Still Lends Out Less Than a Fifth of Deposits.

easypaisa posted pre-tax profit of Rs8.26 billion in H1 2026, 2.27 times last year, on 30.5% revenue growth and a 67% jump in deposits. Its lending ratio is still 18.63%.
25 Aug
Data card: Pakistan's textile exports reached $1.81 billion in July 2026, up 43.13% on June but 8.07% year-on-year, with readymade garments up 15% and textile imports up 14.82% to $682 million

Textile Exports Rose 43% in a Month. The Real Number Is 8%.

Pakistan's textile exports reached $1.81 billion in July 2026, up 43% on June but 8.07% year-on-year. Imports rose 14.82%, and garments were the standout category.
20 Aug
Data card: Pakistan's outstanding auto loans hit a record Rs386 billion in July 2026, up 35.2% year-on-year, alongside home construction loans up 37.2% and credit card debt up 30.5% against 15% growth in total private sector credit

Auto Loans Hit a Record Rs386 Billion. Credit Cards Are the Line to Watch.

Outstanding auto loans in Pakistan hit a record Rs386 billion in July 2026, up 35.2% year-on-year, with home and credit card lending growing at similar rates. Mostly a rate story.
19 Aug
Data card: Pakistan's first full-scale bio-coal plant will convert cotton stalks and sugarcane waste into pellets priced 40 to 50 percent below imported coal, against a $2.5 billion annual coal import bill, backed by £1.25 million in UK funding

Punjab Burns Its Crop Waste. A New Plant Wants to Buy It Instead.

A UK-funded project is building Pakistan's first full-scale plant turning cotton stalks and sugarcane waste into bio-coal, priced 40-50% below imported coal, against a $2.5bn annual import bill.
18 Aug
Data card: Coca-Cola İçecek reported 17% sales volume growth in Pakistan in Q2 2026, its largest single contribution to group growth, with Uzbekistan up 21.1% from a smaller base and group volumes at 519 million unit cases

Pakistanis Bought 17% More Coca-Cola. That Is Not What the Economy Predicted.

Coca-Cola İçecek reported 17% sales volume growth in Pakistan in Q2 2026, its largest single contribution to group growth. In a squeezed consumer market, that number needs explaining.
17 Aug
Data card: Pakistan's official tobacco support price is Rs740 per kilogram while traders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa offer Rs350, a 53% gap, with growers reporting four in ten bundles rejected at purchasing centres

The Official Tobacco Price Is Rs740. Growers Are Being Offered Rs350.

Pakistan's official tobacco support price is Rs740 per kg. Growers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are being offered Rs350 — because the ministry that sets the price cannot enforce it.
16 Aug
Pakistan's petroleum dealers margin rises to Rs9.98 per litre from 1 September 2026, an increase of Rs1.34, against the Rs26–30 dealers sought under a variable 8 percent margin

Fuel Dealers Wanted Rs26 a Litre. They Got Rs9.98 — and Called Off the Strike.

The ECC raised the petroleum dealers' margin to Rs9.98 per litre from 1 September, and a nationwide strike was called off. Dealers had wanted a variable 8% margin worth Rs26-30 per litre.
15 Aug
Data card: SME lending in Pakistan crosses Rs1 trillion for the first time in FY26, up 37% to Rs1.046 trillion, with a 10.66% share of private business credit and 45% of the book in three subsectors

SME Lending Crossed Rs1 Trillion for the First Time. Three Sectors Took Nearly Half.

SME lending in Pakistan crossed Rs1 trillion for the first time in FY26, up 37% year-on-year to Rs1.046 trillion. But three subsectors hold 45% of the book, and the target it beat was one the State Bank had already lowered.
14 Aug
Data card: Pakistan gave up Rs160 billion in tariff revenue for $1.27 billion in additional exports, a 2.2x return, with attribution not yet published

Rs160 Billion in Tariff Cuts Bought $1.27 Billion in Exports. Was It Worth It?

The Commerce Ministry says Rs160bn in tariff relief delivered $1.27bn in extra exports. That is better than 2:1 on foreign exchange — but the attribution has not been shown.
13 Aug
Federal Investigation Agency headquarters in Islamabad, where the Blink Capital case has been referred

SECP Sends Blink Capital to the FIA Over an Alleged Rs408.6 Million Ponzi Scheme

The regulator referred a licensed PMEX broker to the FIA after 35+ complaints over an alleged Ponzi-type scheme promising up to 48% annual returns.
12 Aug

Listed banks post a flat quarter as deposit costs finally bite

Margin compression arrived a quarter later than most analysts had modelled.
5 Aug
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Most read

A New Federal SEZ Is Approved the Same Week an Audit Finds Rs18.46bn at an Existing One

Cabinet Approves 170 Companies Act Amendments — None of Which Have Been Published