Monday, October 26, 2026Developing PakistanIslamabad
Long-form reporting, sector deep-dives, and analytical dispatches on the forces shaping Pakistan's economy.
Pakistan’s long-delayed refinery modernisation programme has moved from policy discussions to implementation, with four of the country’s five major refineries signing formal upgrad…
Pakistan’s Shaheen Energy (Pvt) Limited and China’s Anton Oilfield Services Group have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore commercially viable projects involving around…
Pakistan’s solar transition is changing the country’s energy landscape. Across cities and towns, rooftops that once served no economic purpose are increasingly being turned into sm…
IT exports are on track to cross $3.5 billion annualised, growing 10–15% despite the global tech slowdown. Policy execution — not talent — is now the ceiling.
Deal volume is still down 50–60% from the 2021 peak. But the ecosystem coming out the other side has better unit economics and less foreign dependency.
Freelance inflows are now $500M+ annually and quietly moving up the value chain — AI training, automation, specialised consulting. Formalisation is the next unlock.
Raast transactions and mobile-wallet penetration are both up sharply, and interoperability with banking apps is finally working. Cash still dominates — but the wedge is in.
AI adoption is measurable across startups, enterprises, and universities. Compute, R&D funding and a national strategy remain the missing pieces.
