Efficient credit allocation is critical for sustainable and inclusive economic growth. In this regard, agriculture, small & medium enterprises and low-cost housing remains the priority sectors for State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) with Islamic banking and fina
Since time immemorial, evolution of currency has passed through different phases. Chief among them are the barter system, creation of first known currency by King Alyattes of Lydia in 600 BC, usage of coins and evolution of paper currency to the current m
After independence in 1947, Pakistan was inherited with a weak financial system architecture lacking a proper banking network and a central bank. Mr. Zahid Husain, one of the senior most Muslim officers of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service who was ser
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has the mandate to "regulate the monetary and credit system of Pakistan and to foster growth in the best national interest with a view to securing monetary stability and fuller utilization of the country's productive resou
It's a proud momentum for all of us to celebrate 70 years of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Our central bank is a premier and prestigious institution of the country. Backed by a series of legislative reforms and implementation of a comprehensive, phase
State Bank of Pakistan, since its inception, has been making relentless efforts for the development of the country's economy. Being the custodian of the monetary and financial stability, State Bank of Pakistan has steadily transformed and strengthened its
It gives me immense pleasure to congratulate State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on this auspicious occasion of its 70th anniversary. The establishment of the country's central bank by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah on 1st July 1948-soon after freedom-was a ke
Asia's naphtha crack recovered from a three-session low to reach an almost two-week high of $76.28 a tonne after strong demand overturned the impact of high oil prices for now. Formosa and CPC, Taiwan's two key naphtha importers, were out at the same time
Heavy rain and sunny spells last week was expected to boost prospects for Ivory Coast's main October-March cocoa crop, farmers said on Monday. Farmers said rainy season downpours had already improved soil moisture for the ongoing April-September mid-crop,
Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures closed lower on Thursday for the fourth time in five sessions, pressured by an accelerating US winter crop harvest and by position squaring ahead of US government crop reports due on Friday. CBOT September soft red win
Chicago Board of Trade soyabean futures dropped to 1-1/2 week lows on Thursday as traders squared positions ahead of Friday's US Department of Agriculture acreage and quarterly stocks reports. Expectations for a large US crop yields this year added pressu
Argentine soya yields and harvesting area have been chopped by drought to their lowest levels since the 2008/09 season, analysts said on Thursday, citing the effect of a four-month dry spell that suddenly gave way to floods in April.
Rice export prices in top exporter India fell this week to the lowest in over a year due to a plunge in the rupee as demand remained subdued, while rates in Thailand fell on expectations of fresh supplies and weakness in the domestic currency. Prices of I
Volume of business did not show any visible change on the cotton market as a result of slow arrivals of seed cotton on Saturday, dealers said. The official spot rate was unmoved at Rs 7,600, they added. Prices of seed cotton in Sindh were unchanged at Rs
Singapore refining margins, the benchmark for profitability among oil processors in Asia, fell to their lowest in two years, dragged down by lower gasoline margins as refiners have ramped up output after completing maintenance and as China stepped up expo
Asking prices for soyameal on the European meals and feeds market eased slightly on Thursday because of benign crop weather in the US soyabean belt and due to positioning ahead of Friday's USDA crop conditions and quarterly stocks reports.
Tereos signed a 30-year deal for Brazilian logistic firm VLI to transport 1 million tonnes a year of the French producer's raw sugar, and the two companies also agreed to invest in two new warehouses in Brazil's Sao Paulo state, they said. The deal gives
China's seaborne coal imports are on track to have surged by around 14 percent in the first half of the year, with Indonesia emerging as the big winner among exporters. Imports are likely to be around 126.6 million tonnes in the first six months of this y
Trade in Asian coffee markets was slow with the holiday mood in Indonesia dragging on amid a gubernatorial election earlier this week while stocks in Vietnam remained low, traders said on Thursday. In the Central Highlands, Vietnam's largest coffee growin
Chicago Board of Trade corn futures fell to 1-1/2 week lows on Thursday as investors squared positions ahead of Friday's US government reports that are expected to show higher plantings and ample stocks of the grain. Additional pressure stemmed from ample
Urals crude differentials in northwest Europe were firmer on Thursday on stronger demand for July barrels and limited availability of the grade, traders said. Urals crude oil exports from Russia's Baltic ports were set at 4.7 million tonnes in July compar
Shanghai rebar steel futures rose on Thursday, moving away from a nearly one-month low, following a decline in stockpiles of the building material that eased concerns about weaker seasonal demand in top steel consumer China. Weekly stocks of construction
Consultancy Agroconsult lowered its forecast for Brazil's so-called second corn crop to 55.2 million tonnes on Monday but left its export projection unchanged after a survey of fields in four states affected by planting delays and a drought. Agroconsult h
Euronext wheat ended lower on Thursday in line with a subdued trend in Chicago as grain markets awaited US government crop data and sought clearer indications on the impact of hot, dry weather on harvest prospects in Europe. December milling wheat, the mo
US intelligence agencies believe North Korea has increased production of fuel for nuclear weapons at multiple secret sites in recent months and may try to hide these while seeking concessions in nuclear talks with the United States, NBC News quoted US off
Hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of Uganda's capital Saturday demanding police action to stop a spate of kidnappings and murders of women that have gripped the country. "We demand action and accountability for the rampant kidnapping, bru
Seven ancient Korean mountain temples, which typify the way Buddhism in the country has merged with indigenous beliefs and styles, were listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites on Saturday. The seven mountain temples - Seonamsa, Daeheungsa, Beopjusa, Magoksa
Visitors to Britain's revamped Royal Air Force Museum opening on Saturday can fend off cyber attacks, identify airstrike targets and practice landing jets on flight simulators. The north London attraction has been overhauled to mark the RAF's centenary th
A rocket developed by a maverick Japanese entrepreneur and convicted fraudster exploded shortly after liftoff Saturday, in a major blow to his bid to send Japan's first privately backed rocket into space. Interstellar Technologies, founded by popular inte
The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously renewed for six months its mission to observe the ceasefire in the Golan Heights, calling for armed groups to leave the area separating Syrian and Israeli forces. UNDOF, which comprises nearly a thousand perso
Japan will next week pick a US-made advanced radar for its multibillion-dollar missile defence system, an upgrade that could help ease trade friction with Washington and provide cutting-edge protection against the arsenals of North Korea and China, source
The son of Cambodia's long-serving Prime Minister was promoted to two senior military posts on Saturday as his father looks to widen his family's influence. The move comes just weeks before elections that veteran Cambodian leader Hun Sen is expected to ea
An Indian soccer fan, in Russia for the World Cup, died in a car crash on Saturday on a road near the tournament host city Sochi, Interfax news agency cited sources as saying. The incident, the first reported death of a World Cup visitor to Russia, was bl
South Sudan rebels, led by former vice president Riek Machar, on Saturday accused the army of breaking a ceasefire just hours after it came into force. Rebel spokesman Lam Paul Gabriel said government forces had "launched an attack Saturday morning on a r
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has drawn up a raft of measures to tighten controls on the influx of migrants, according to a document submitted to her coalition partners Saturday as she battles for political survival. Merkel has also secured deals with 1
Recent strength in the Mexican peso is unlikely to hold in coming months as US President Donald Trump doubles down on his protectionist stance, the latest Reuters survey of currency market strategists showed. The latest results, taken April 3-5, suggest a
After a week of relatively stability, the Argentine peso slid more than 2.5 percent on Friday, as an economic crisis marked by high inflation, wobbly growth and an outflow of capital began to bite again. Argentina's peso, like currencies in other emerging
The Kenyan shilling and Ugandan shilling are expected to remain stable in the coming week, while the Ghana cedi is expected to recover. KENYA - The Kenyan shilling is expected to remain steady against the dollar in the coming week supported by tight liqui
China would be better off weakening its currency rather than selling its vast holdings of US government debt in response to a growing trade conflict between the world's two biggest economies, according to simulations by Goldman Sachs strategists.
The Canadian dollar hit a two-week high against its US counterpart on Friday as oil prices rose and after a surprise expansion of the domestic economy in April raised expectations for a Bank of Canada interest rate hike next month.
The dollar slipped to a three-day low against the euro on Friday after European Union leaders reached an agreement on migration that eased pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel, but the currency was set to log its best quarterly performance in six q
Speculators increased bullish bets on the US dollar for a second straight week, pushing net long positions to their largest since mid-May last year, according to calculations by Reuters and Commodity Futures Trading Commission data released on Friday.
The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) said on Thursday it had granted a virtual currency license to global financial services company Xapo to offer a digital wallet and vault service.
Digital currency sales jumped to $13.7 billion in the first five months of the year, nearly double the amount raised for the whole of 2017, according to a report released on Thursday by PwC's strategy and consulting division Strategy& and Switzerland-base
Investors raised their short positions in Asian currencies over the past month, a Reuters poll showed, with bets on the Chinese yuan turning bearish for the first time in over a year as Sino-US trade tensions intensified. An atmosphere of uncertainty has
Global investors cut equities to 11-month lows in June and raised cash levels as the US ratcheted up trade tensions, but a majority of Reuters poll participants still expect world stocks to end 2018 higher after a volatile first half. The monthly asset-al
Global investors cut equities to 11-month lows in June and raised cash levels as the US ratcheted up trade tensions, but a majority of Reuters poll participants still expect world stocks to end 2018 higher after a volatile first half. The monthly asset-al
China's Xiaomi Corp priced its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) at the bottom of an indicative range, raising $4.72 billion in the world's biggest tech float in four years, people close to the transaction said on Friday. That values the firm at abo
The number of financial analysts tracking small companies fell during in the first half of 2018 as changes in European Union rules forced a shakeup in how banks charge for research - potentially clouding investor visibility in some areas. Under the Market
The planned liquidation of the Middle East's biggest private equity firm has hurt sentiment toward stocks in the United Arab Emirates, while Kuwait's outlook is bullish as it may join MSCI's emerging market index, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday. Dubai-
An inversion in US Treasury yields, a solid and reliable predictor of past recessions, is at most two years away and perhaps only a year off, according to bond market experts polled by Reuters who have brought their forecasts nearer. While there is still
An inversion in US Treasury yields, a solid and reliable predictor of past recessions, is at most two years away and perhaps only a year off, according to bond market experts polled by Reuters who have brought their forecasts nearer. While there is still
Italian government bond yields dropped sharply across the board after a deal among European Union leaders to tackle migration eased fears of no accord and averted a potential clash between Italy's new populist government and the European Union. Italy's 10
Italian government bond yields dropped sharply across the board after a deal among European Union leaders to tackle migration eased fears of no accord and averted a potential clash between Italy's new populist government and the European Union. Italy's 10
Canada's main stock index notched its biggest quarterly gain in more than four years and could gain more this year as higher oil prices boost energy shares and legalization of pot leads to deal making among cannabis companies, investors said. In the secon
Halfway through 2018, investing in Wall Street's leading S&P 500 stock index has been nothing to shout about. The index of about 500 of the largest US corporations has risen 1.7 percent year to date, far short of its 8 percent increase in the first half o
Wall Street's major stock indexes edged higher on Friday, as a surge in Nike Inc shares helped the quarter close out on an upswing while concerns over US international trade relations ebbed. For the quarter, the Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq all posted
Canada's economy shrugged off the effects of bad weather to post unexpected growth in April and business optimism rose to near record levels in the second quarter, pushing up the Canadian dollar and boosting odds of an interest rate hike next month. Stati
The International Monetary Fund on Friday approved the fourth installment of a $12 billion, three-year loan for Egypt, bringing the total released to date to just over $8 billion. The IMF board approved the latest $2 billion disbursement under the aid dea
US tariffs on imported cars could lead BMW to reduce investment and cut jobs in the United States due to the large number of cars it exports from its South Carolina plant, the German carmaker has warned. President Trump's administration last month launche
General Motors warned Friday that it could be forced to cut jobs and raise prices on its cars if the President Donald Trump's confrontational approach on trade spirals into a trade war. In comments expressing concern over Trump's proposed 25 percent tarif
Growth in China's manufacturing sector slowed in June after a better-than-expected performance in May, official data showed, as escalating trade tensions with the United States fuel concerns about a slowdown in the world's second-biggest economy.
The chairman of Swiss drugmaker Novartis Alcon to be valued at between $20 billion and $30 billion when the opthalmic devices unit is spun off to shareholders next year, he said in an interview with Finanz und Wirtschaft. "Just how much it's ultimately go
US President Donald Trump spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau late on Friday to discuss trade and other economic issues, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on Saturday. The phone call between the two leaders was the first to be p
Japan's industrial output declined far less than expected last month and the jobless rate hit its lowest in over 25 years in a sign of a gradual economic recovery from a slump in the first quarter, though risks to the outlook have increased from US trade
Germany's Thyssenkrupp and India's Tata Steel signed a final agreement on Saturday to establish a long-expected steel joint venture, the European steel industry's biggest shake-up in more than a decade.
Ten years after out-duelling Roger Federer to win the greatest Wimbledon final, Rafael Nadal returns to the All England Club still basking in the warm glow of that epic encounter. After losing to Federer in successive Wimbledon finals, Nadal finally got t
Irena Szewinska, Poland's most decorated Olympian with seven medals across five track and field events, died aged 72 on Friday night, the Polish Olympic Committee (POC) said. A five-time Olympian, Szewinska won golds in 4x100m at the 1964 Tokyo Games, in
Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei set up a sensational final clash against Japan's Kento Momota at the Malaysia Open after an easy 21-18, 21-15 victory over Indonesia's Tommy Sugiarto in the semifinals on Saturday. The triumph meant Lee, 35, extended his win ratio
Argentina's most-capped player Javier Mascherano called time on his international career Saturday after the painful World Cup defeat to France. "It's time to say goodbye," the 34-year-old ex-Barcelona, Liverpool and West Ham midfielder said after Argentin
Australia, Pakistan and Zimbabwe meet in a T20 tri-series starting in Harare on Sunday with the world number one ranking on the line in the sport's shortest format. Pakistan travel to Zimbabwe as the world's top rated team but if the Australians are able
eshawar and Bannu will clash in the final of the ongoing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inter-Divisional Volleyball Championship being played here at PSB Coaching Center on Saturday. Deputy Director Sports Tariq Khan was the chief guest on this occasion and before th
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is all set to hold the 'NCA Emerging Players High-Performance Skill and Training Program' here at the National Cricket Academy from July 2, 2018 to August 18. The National Selection Committee has selected as many as 26 players
The 9th All-Khyber Pakhunkhwa Amateur Mui Thai Karate Tournament concluded with all the districts across Khyber Pakhunkhwa took part. Deputy Director Sports Aziz Ullah Jan was the chief guest on this occasion. President Sahibzada Abdul Hadi, General Secre
Dawid Malan looks set to play in the opening game of England's three match T20 series with India after being called up as cover for the injured Tom Curran on Saturday. The 30-year-old batsman - who made a sparkling T20 debut for England with 78 off just 4
Virat Kohli is happy that India are well prepared to take on in-form England when their much-awaited series starts on Tuesday with the first of three Twenty20 internationals. India completed the formality of a 2-0 win in Ireland on Friday with their bigge
FIFA has fined World Cup hosts Russia 10,000 Swiss francs ($10,100) after their fans displayed a discriminatory banner during the country's 3-0 World Cup loss to Uruguay. Russia play Spain in the last 16 on Sunday after the country reached the World Cup k
France roared back against Argentina to reach the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday as wonderkid Kylian Mbappe sent Lionel Messi home from Russia empty-handed following a seven-goal thriller. The 1998 champions won 4-3 and looked a totally different si
The US ambassador to Estonia, James Melville, will retire from the State Department next month, a move he reportedly said was prompted by Donald Trump's jibes and treatment of European allies. The announcement comes ahead of a summit in Brussels of Nato a
Mumbai's Art Deco buildings - believed to be the world's second largest collection after Miami - were added on Saturday to UNESCO's World Heritage List alongside the city's better-known Victorian Gothic architecture. The decision was approved at a UNESCO
At least eight battered rebel-held towns in southern Syria on Saturday returned to regime control under Russian-brokered deals after nearly two weeks of bombardment, a Britain-based monitor said. Since June 19, the Damascus regime has pressed a deadly bom
Thousands of people braved hot weather Saturday to march through London to "celebrate and demonstrate" over Britain's National Health Service (NHS) ahead of its 70th anniversary next week. Protesters gathered from noon in the capital's West End district b