By Aftab Ahmed | January 9, 2026

The Ministry of Finance will now lead tax policy development, a responsibility previously held by the Federal Board of Revenue, as the federal government has begun preparations for the 2026–27 budget. For the first time, the Tax Policy Office operating under the Ministry of Finance has been granted full authority to design tax reforms. Officials…

By Aftab Ahmed | January 8, 2026

The first prize bond draw of 2026 for the Rs750 denomination will be held January 15 in Peshawar. The draw will be conducted by the National Savings Centre, with balloting scheduled to begin at 10:00am morning. National Savings said prize bonds are considered a safe investment because they can be encashed anytime in Pakistan. Under…

By Salman Khan | January 8, 2026

The government has decided to deregulate the sugar sector to ensure prompt payments to growers and transparency in the weighment process. The committee was formed to discuss proposals for deregulating Pakistan’s sugar sector on 17 July 2025 under the chair of Minister for Power including Ministers for Finance, National Food Security and Research, EAD respectively,…

By Salman Khan | January 7, 2026

The local bourse remained firmly up and running, extending its stellar momentum to notch an all-time high close at 186,518. The benchmark index witnessed a highly buoyant session, surging to an intraday high of 1,953 points, while profit-taking remained modest, with the intraday low capped at 165 points, underscoring the market’s underlying strength. Optimism has…

By Aftab Ahmed | January 7, 2026

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Mr. Haroon Akhtar Khan, held an important meeting with representatives of Fortune 500 Chinese company Xiamen C&D, during which the company expressed strong interest in making large-scale investments in Pakistan. The meeting was attended by Chairman Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA), Mr. Freedoon Akram Sheikh, along with EPZA Board…

By Aftab Ahmed | January 7, 2026

The Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS) has revised profit rates for various schemes effective January 5, 2026. The changes cover both conventional and Islamic instruments, aiming to align returns with prevailing market trends and monetary conditions. Among conventional schemes, Defence Savings Certificates (DSC) fell by 23 basis points, offering 11.08% per annum for ten…

By Aftab Ahmed | January 7, 2026

Pakistan’s textile and apparel exports are facing a serious and broad-based decline, driven by weak global demand, elevated domestic input costs, and intensifying international competition, said Chairman Pakistan Textile Council (PTC), Mr. Fawad Anwar, while commenting on export performance during the first half of FY 2025–26. Textiles and apparel which is Pakistan’s largest export-oriented industry…

By Aftab Ahmed | January 7, 2026

Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb met a business delegation from the Sajwani Group to discuss digital finance collaboration. During the meeting, both sides reviewed global developments in tokenisation, artificial intelligence, blockchain, and emerging digital infrastructure technologies. They explored ways these technologies could strengthen Pakistan’s financial system while remaining fully compliant with existing legal frameworks. The…

By Aftab Ahmed | January 6, 2026

The KSE-100 Index closed at a fresh all-time high, rising 2,653 points amid strong institutional buying. The KSE-100 Index concluded the trading session on a strong note, registering a fresh all-time high at 185,062 points, reflecting a gain of 2,653 points. The benchmark index remained volatile throughout the day, reaching an intraday high of 185,481…