Swiss laundry on October 26, 2018The era of bank accounts in Switzerland with the repute of managing offshore and allegedly illicit wealth, is an enigma in a digital financial age, is ending as it commences to share clients data with tax authorities of other countries. The Alpine nation recognised for its banking confidentiality practices has come under immense pressure from […]
The myth of Chinese debt on October 1, 2018China’s real GDP growth peaked in 2007 at 14.2%, stabilizing in 2017 at 6.8%, giving rise to a myth that the slowing economy is affected by a decline in Chinese equities and the ongoing trade war with USA. Realistically speaking, the Chinese capital market has little meaningful links with its real economy, as capital is […]
Cyber crime, a global concern on September 13, 2018The website of Pakistan’s National Response Centre for Cyber Crime describes ‘cyber-crime’ as any activity commissioned via computer, digital devices and networks used in the cyber realm facilitated through the internet medium. The scope of cyber-crime in Pakistan mostly covers data theft in both formal and informal sectors, stalking cyber users — and what is […]
Karachi, CPEC and oil on September 6, 2018Pakistan has developed its oil pipeline transport infrastructure since the eighties and this can be tapped into by the CPEC project. If the oil transportation need of China can be met from the existing infrastructure of Karachi port then the CPEC grid maybe re-aligned. After all locomotives originating from China laden with low quality household […]
The Silk Route and submarine cables on September 3, 2018There is a grudging realisation that the Chinese economic juggernaut is encountering a drop in GDP growth, its industry is confronted with overcapacity and an extremely high domestic debt to GDP ratio. This comprises of a toxic loan portfolio, instead of development induced lending. Its economy is facing a downturn in domestic demand, and in […]
The cost of conflict on August 4, 2018What Pakistan lacks, although it may sound trite, is resolving public and government problems through resources of the private sector. This has been aptly personified in a book by Karl Zinsmeister on the regenerative power of civil society after the aftershock of the 2016 US election. This approach is visible in Pakistan through the commonly […]
How Alibaba rose to the top on July 19, 2018Alibaba Group, which was established in the year 1999 as an e-commerce entity, today surpassed Walmart as the world’s largest retailer. Alibaba boasts a gross market value of almost $476 billion. In terms of market capitalisation, Alibaba compares with Apple at $615, Google 307, Alibaba 215 and Facebook 204, respectively. Its popularity is reflected by […]
Social action for change or ploy for profit? on July 11, 2018The developing world has watched the prejudice of international organisations, including the United Nations, World Bank and the World Health Organisation. This prejudice is obvious in their approach and selective applicability of grant disbursement, aid and technical advice. Prevalent is the scheme of pedantic non-government organisations (NGOs) ostensibly formed to achieve a social cause without […]
Is Pakistan winning? on July 2, 2018Pakistan has recently been subjected to two international arbitration awards and in one case, has started paying penalty on the compensation award, as it is in a precarious financial position. Another award is expected to be announced shortly, with a significantly higher amount. Which body administers International Arbitration Awards? The International Centre for Settlement of […]
Coal power — how dirty is dirty? on June 19, 2018Coal powered plants emit carbon dioxide along with noxious pollutants and, on average, churn out 146,000 tons of PM 2.5 particulates annually. There have been many studies that have conclusively proved that these dangerous pollutants have caused numerous deaths over the years, especially in developing countries as they are prone to be dependent on coal […]