DW enters into an agreement to promote Golf in Pakistan's third largest City - Faisalabad

         

Discount World - DW, committed to enhancing services for its VISA Premium Members, has partnered with Lyallpur Golf Club Faisalabad to promote the sport of Golf in Pakistan.

This collaboration is powered by VISA which is solely aimed at providing exclusive benefits for Visa Premium Card Holders, and Discount World's decision to partner with Lyallpur Golf Club may be seen by individuals who have an everlasting passion for golf as one significant step.

Players who are interested in the sport can avail the facility for free by presenting their Visa Premium Cards. This partnership will not only revolutionize the promotion of golf in Pakistan but will also attract new enthusiasts to the sport thus paving the ways for representing Pakistan on the golf fields domestically and internationally.

In his remarks at the signing ceremony, Mr. Sultan Richard, Chairman & CEO of DW, said, "We are overwhelmed to have teamed up with the Lyallpur Golf Club to promote golf in Pakistan. This alliance with VISA is a strategic move that holds great promise for the golfing community. Moreover, it has the potential to effectively draw in new golf enthusiasts in Pakistan.

The agreement was signed between Mr. Sultan Richard, Chairman & CEO - Discount World and Moeen Mehmood Khan, Honorary Secretary - Lyallpur Golf Club in the presence of esteemed business community of Faisalabad.

Expressing his enthusiasm for the collaborative alliance powered by VISA, Honorary Secretary, Lyallpur Golf Club, Moeen Mehmood Khan said, “It is a great honour to begin this partnership with Discount World, which has been made possible by VISA. This partnership will open doors for those who have a passion for the game and will also work to increase golf's popularity in Pakistan.

OPPO secures first place in China and fourth place in global smartphone shipments in H1 2023 following the success of Find N2 Flip

 

Boosted by the strong performance of its Find N2 series and Find X6 series flagship smartphones, OPPO ranks first in the Chinese smartphone market in H1 2023 and fourth globally during the same period.

According to data from Canalys, OPPO held a 10% share of the global smartphone market in H1, with 51.9 million shipments, and an 18% share of the China smartphone market in H1 2023, making it the best-selling brand in China during the first half of the year.

OPPO’s performance has been driven in part by the success of foldable smartphones, which have entered a period of rapid growth this year and continue to show significant upside potential. Counterpoint Research estimates that global shipments of foldable smartphones are expected to grow at a 114% compound annual growth rate from 2019 to 2025, increasing four-fold between 2022 and 2025 to reach 55 million units. Chinese OEMs, including OPPO, have been quick to embrace the foldable market, contributing to China's emergence as the global leader with a 26% share of the market in 2022.

New data from Canalys also shows that OPPO held a dominant 31% share of the foldable market in China during Q1 2023, making it the leader in the growing segment. At the product level, the OPPO Find N2 Flip outperformed all other foldable products to make up 15% of foldable smartphone sales in China from January to May 2023, according to Counterpoint. As the first vertical flip phone to introduce a larger cover screen, the Find N2 Flip is crafted for practicality and enjoyment for daily use, featuring a less-visible crease, a powerful battery, and an intuitive UI design alongside other industry-leading innovations. These innovations and the commercial success of the Find N2 Flip have also helped OPPO to outperform the global foldable market this year, where its market share has increased from 5% in Q1 2022 to 13% in Q1 2023, according to Canalys.

OPPO remains committed to driving the growth of the foldable smartphone market and enhancing the user experience through its continued focus on technical innovation.

Finance professionals suggest rebound in confidence has stalled, but no downturn imminent

         

The latest economic conditions survey from ACCA and IMA of accountants and CFOs across the globe suggests that the sharp rebound in global confidence in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has ended

 

Ongoing aggressive interest rate hikes by central banks, and China’s weaker than expected economic recovery, have likely weighed on confidence, offsetting any benefit from receding fears of a global banking crisis and falling inflation.

 

There is no evidence that a global recession is on the cards though. Sentiment at the global level remains around its long-term average, as do the key New orders, Capital expenditure, and Employment indices.

 

There were some notable regional trends. Confidence fell sharply in Asia-Pacific and the export-sensitive Western Europe. But confidence in North America actually rose for the fourth consecutive quarter, with gains in the New orders, Capital expenditure, and Employment indices. This would suggest that the U.S. economy may continue to defy predictions of a recession. 

 

It is somewhat surprising that the aggressive monetary tightening has not had a material impact on the GECS “Fear’’ indices which reflect respondents’ concerns that customers and/or suppliers may go out of business. Both these indices continue to improve (see chart below), which suggests little concern about the impact of higher interest rates, recession risks, or the growing number of bankruptcies.

 

Of course, it may just be a case of calm before the storm, as the lagged effect of tighter monetary policy works its way through the global economy and financial system. Indeed, our indices measuring global problems accessing finance and securing prompt payment both deteriorated in 2Q, although neither looks particularly worrying yet by historical standards. Meanwhile, the percentage of global respondents concerned about increased costs declined slightly again, although it remains very elevated by historical standards, suggesting that central banks may have more work to do.

 

Rashid Khan, ACCA’s campaign manager in Pakistan, said: ‘The second quarter economic conditions survey from ACCA and IMA of accountants and CFOs across the globe suggests that the sharp rebound in global confidence in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has ended. There is little evidence that a global recession is on the cards though. From Pakistan’s perspective, the sharp decline in confidence in the important Western European and Asia-Pacific markets is of some concern. However, the resilience of the US economy, its largest single export market, is a key positive. Going forward, external developments will remain very important for the Pakistani economy, both through the trade and financial channels. 

 

Jonathan Ashworth, Chief Economist at ACCA, said: “The survey aligned with my sense of how things are developing in the global economy, with some loss in momentum through 2Q. Things don’t look particularly alarming though, and a global recession does not look imminent. By region, things aren’t looking that great in Asia-Pacific and Western Europe. Chinese policymakers may need to increase policy stimulus, while the ECB and BoE might want to tread carefully with monetary tightening. In contrast, the U.S. economy is looking pretty resilient, suggesting the Fed may be able to carry off the much talked about soft landing”.

 

Dr. Susie Duong, Director of Research at IMA, said: “Looking at the change in the GECS Confidence Indices over the year, one notable factor is the resilience of North America. With a stronger than expected growth of the U.S. economy in 2023 Q2, it suggests that an imminent recession for the U.S. does not seem likely this year, although Asia and Europe could increasingly become a drag if growth decelerates significantly there. The robustness of the global ‘fear’ indices is also unexpected. However, it’s less clear that will still be the case at the turn of the year.”

Google’s Think Apps 2023 helps over 500 Pakistani developers from across 136 studios grow their apps and bring them to the world

         

●        Think Apps 2023 is designed to bring the latest insights and trends from global and local experts to Pakistan’s developers 

●        Pakistan has emerged as a booming market for gaming and apps.

●        Apps developed in Pakistan are gaining popularity, with apps downloads growing at 30% CAGR

Think Apps, the first and the biggest offline event focused on apps and games, was held by Google in Lahore, Pakistan. The event saw more than 500 developers, in addition to business and industry leaders from around the country, come together to learn how to bring Pakistani-made apps and games to the world.

The event comes on the heels of Think Games and Gaming Growth Lab that were both held for the first-time last year in Pakistan. Through these events, Google worked with over 1,600 developers and nurtured 50 early-stage gaming studios to compete on the global stage. Google also helped over 5,000 Cloud developers and over 3,000 Android developers upskill through community-led programs such as Cloud Seekho S5 and Android Seekho S2.

Pakistan is making a strong entrance into the global gaming and app market. The country's standing in the international app economy has improved significantly over the years, with Pakistan’s developers moving up to 16th place in 2023 from 27th in 2018 in terms of app downloads. In 2022, apps developed in Pakistan were downloaded a staggering 4 billion times worldwide, marking a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30% from 2018 to 2020^[1]. In 2022 alone, a total of 65 apps from 24 local developers reached the top 10 rankings in the gaming and apps verticals on both the Play Store and App Store^[2].

 

To help Pakistani studios and developers further unlock digital opportunities, Google is expanding its support for the apps industry in Pakistan through Think Apps, which is designed to bring in-depth knowledge and trends from global experts to local developers. The program is built on three unique focus areas:

-          Build for Quality will inspire developers to understand how they can create high quality games that are built on strong gameplay and creative design. Game quality determines success, which will allow developers to build great games that provide engaging experiences and deliver long-term performance to users.

-          Build for Profitability will help developers learn how to use the right Google AI-powered ad solutions to supercharge profitable growth, acquire new users, and expand globally.

-          Build for Sustainability will enable developers to build the right apps by keeping up with trends, staying ahead of their competition, and creating competitive advantages to ensure long-term success.

Farhan S. Qureshi, Google's Director for Pakistan, said, “Google will continue to invest substantially to nurture Pakistan’s developer ecosystem. The country has the potential to become a key player in shaping the future of the global app economy. I’m confident that Think Apps 2023 will enable even more local developers to create great games and apps, supercharge their growth, and scale globally with Google AI-powered solutions.”

Hazel Mobile Group, one of Pakistan’s leading game development companies, has adopted Google's AAA (Android, AdMob, and Ads) Growth Framework to develop its more than 100 games and apps, resulting in the creation of over 200 jobs in Pakistan and more than 2 billion app downloads worldwide.

Waqas Ahmed, Chief Technology Officer, Hazel Mobile, said, “Google has been helpful in providing us with dedicated support, sharing the tools and insights needed to shape up our long-term thinking, and guiding us in optimizing our growth strategy.”

Infinix NOTE 30 Pro Series Earns Exceptional Reviews Amongst Tech Media Worldwide

                                              

Infinix's remarkable NOTE 30 Pro series have garnered significant attention beyond the usual market boundaries. The brand recently unveiled the highly anticipated NOTE 30 Pro series, providing young users with an exceptional All-Round FastCharge technology. Prominent technology media outlets have conducted comprehensive evaluations of the series, commending its impressive 68W fast charging, appealing design, top-notch features, and affordable pricing.

Let's now explore the insights of these media experts and delve into the captivating world of the all-new Infinix NOTE 30 Pro series.

Exceptional Reviews

Renowned British tech influencer SuperSaf thoroughly reviewed the Infinic NOTE 30 pro series recently. When examining the NOTE 30 Pro, which boasts both 68W wired fast charging and 15W wireless fast charging capabilities, SuperSaf couldn't help but express his admiration. He stated, "The Infinix NOTE 30 Pro is a rare gem in today's smartphone market, offering wireless fast charging at a competitive price." It's worth noting that the NOTE 30 Pro is the first smartphone in its price range to feature wireless fast charging.

Even the more budget-friendly NOTE 30 caught SuperSaf's attention for its unique advantages. He highlighted, "The Infinix NOTE 30 stands out in the budget phone segment." This series offers remarkable features such as 45W fast charging, a vibrant 120Hz screen, and a generous storage capacity of up to 16GB+256GB, all at an incredibly competitive price.

Watch full video here: xxxx

Critically Acclaimed by the Media 

Esteemed tech media GSMArena praised Infinix's ambition, stating, "Infinix clearly has ambition and wants to punch above its class, which we appreciate."

When it comes to battery life, Infinix NOTE 30 exceeded expectations, achieving an impressive 119 hours in endurance tests. GSMArena noted, "That's even better than what we expected from this chipset and battery capacity combo. The Note 30 excels in standby endurance in particular.”

Not only does the NOTE 30 impress with its battery life, but its 45W fast charging capability also leaves a lasting impression. The phone features an innovative all-scenario fast charging solution with bypass, reverse, and smart functions. This enhances the charging experience in various situations. The bypass charging function, for instance, directly powers the phone's motherboard, reducing battery strain and improving gaming performance—an essential feature for avid mobile gamers. GSMArena highlighted, "This is a great feature, particularly for gaming and can greatly increase the longevity of the battery.”

Renowned American tech blogger SomeGadgetGuy conducted a comprehensive sound quality test of the NOTE 30 Pro with JBL tuning in a small bedroom. The results were impressive, with clear audio and minimal distortion. SomeGadgetGuy concluded, "I mean, that's pretty good sound." The youtuber also expressed satisfaction with the screen, which offers adaptive adjustment between 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz, believing it has the potential to deliver an unexpectedly positive experience to users.

Talk of the Town

Influential global technology websites, 9to5Google and GizChina, highly praised the cost-effectiveness of Infinix NOTE 30 series. 9to5Google stated that the NOTE 30 surpasses other options in its price range, offering a superior user experience in the States. GizChina awarded the Infinix NOTE 30 Pro a high score of 4.4 points, declaring it a "TRUE VFM WINNER." Both reviews praised the exceptional aesthetic design, powerful hardware performance, stunning screen quality, and comprehensive fast charging technology of the NOTE 30 Pro.

Overall, technology media has lavished extremely high praise on the Infinix NOTE 30 Pro series, unanimously acknowledging its outstanding performance and experience at a great price point. The series is lauded for its exceptional value. This reinforces our belief that the all-new Infinix NOTE 30 Pro series will dominate the smartphone market in the latter half of the year.

YouTube Premium and YouTube Music arrive in Pakistan

                                               

YouTube announced the debut of YouTube Premium, a paid membership that amplifies viewing experience on YouTube with ad-free, offline and in the background play, and YouTube Music, a new music streaming app that offers immersive music experience, in Pakistan. 

YouTube Premium offers the ultimate viewing experience on YouTube. It includes viewing experience uninterrupted by ads, background plays for multi-tasking between apps or listening to lectures and other educational videos and downloads of your favorite shows and content creators for long flights or on commutes with limited access. YouTube Premium also includes YouTube Music Premium which offers ad-free music, background play and downloads on YouTube Music. 

 

YouTube Music is a reimagined, made-for-music app and web player with official songs, albums, playlists and artist radio plus YouTube’s tremendous catalog of remixes, live performances, covers and music videos. With YouTube Music, users can listen to the latest hits, find songs that you love, stay connected to the music world, and discover tons of new music to enjoy on their devices. While all this is available for free in the ad-supported version of YouTube Music, users can also choose to have an ad-free music experience by joining YouTube Music Premium.

Farhan S. Qureshi, Google's Director for Pakistan, said, “With more than 2 billion logged-in viewers watch a music video each month on YouTube globally and over 2 million creators come to share their voices with the world, I’m so happy that YouTube Premium and YouTube Music are now available in Pakistan to provide Pakistanis viewers with new experience.  In Pakistan, over 400 channels have over 1M subscribers, which is an increase of over 35%, year over year while over 6,000 channels have over 100K subscribers, an increase of over 30%, year over year. That’s an impressive number! This makes me even more excited for YouTube to be part of this fast growth ecosystem and to continue our partnership with the Pakistani creative industry and support more Pakistani artists to grow their audience with YouTube Premium and YouTube Music.”

YouTube brings these ultimate entertainment services to viewers in Pakistan, who love to watch music video content. More local artists are sharing their works and creations on YouTube, such as music video premieres, YouTube exclusive content, and featured song lists, and are expanding their fanbase globally. 

YouTube Premium is available from 479.00 PKR and includes membership to YouTube Music Premium while offering an ad-free experience with background play and offline downloads for millions of YouTube videos. Viewers can also sign up for Premium Family Plan, available from 899.00 PKR, which allows them to share their Premium membership with up to 5 other members of their household. YouTube Music Premium is available from 299.00 PKR and offers ad-free music, background play and downloads on YouTube Music. Music Premium Family Plan is available from 479.00 PKR. 

Eligible students can sign up for Premium Student Plan which is available from 329.00 PKR and Music Premium Student Plan for 149.00 PKR on the web and Android. 

Zeeshan Chaudhry, Chief Operating Officer of EMI Pakistan, shared, “The launch of YouTube Music and YouTube Music Premium in Pakistan is an enormous development for the nation's music industry. The advanced features offered by these platforms, followed by the potential for artists to expand their audience, present a huge opportunity for the growth and prosperity of Pakistani music on a global scale.”

 

Xulfi, Curator and Producer, Coke Studio Pakistan, said, “YouTube has always been my go to, both as a viewer and as a music producer. YouTube helps us create that bridge that connects the Pakistani music community with the world, reaching new audiences and creating relevance with music fans around the world. YouTube Music coming to Pakistan is a blessing for all musicians, artists and music fans from this wonderful country, and I cannot wait to see how the Pakistani music industry grows to its new potential on YouTube to surprise the world.”

Here are the key features that make YouTube Premium and YouTube Music standouts: 

·         YouTube Premium

o    From 479.00 PKR per month, YouTube Premium includes ad-free, background and downloads for offline access across all of YouTube -- great for YouTube super users.

o    The best features of YouTube Premium:

§  Ad-free videos: There are a lot of users who simply want to watch what they want, when they want without interruptions. 

§  Background play: Perhaps the most asked feature of YouTube. With a YouTube Premium subscription, videos will not stop playing once you exit your YouTube app. This is especially useful for multi-tasking and for users who listen to lectures, educational videos, and other non-music content. 

§  Offline access:  We spend most of our lives connected, but there are still moments —when we’re on a plane or somewhere with spotty wifi—where you still want to be entertained but you can’t get online. With YouTube Premium you can download your favorite videos so you can watch them whenever you want on-the-go.

·         YouTube Music Premium

o    From 299.00 PKR per month, YouTube Music Premium offers ad-free music, background play and downloads on YouTube Music

§  Ad-free music 

§  Listen in the background 

§  Downloads

§  Audio-only mode

Eligible users can get a special introductory offer of 1 month free for YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium. Learn more about the trials and promotions here.

The YouTube Music app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and iOS App Store. 

Becoming a value-adding CFO takes integrative thinking, says new ACCA guide

                                                     

Chief financial officers (CFOs) have an immense responsibility and career-defining challenge in helping their organisations navigate complex multi-dimensional problems.

Businesses and other organisations face significant challenges in introducing sustainability into their business models and strategies. They also face increased sustainability reporting and assurance requirements. Their processes and systems will need to be updated and transformed to manage these.

These challenges arise against a backdrop of limited financial resources as well as human and natural resources. The long-term survival and success of business can no longer be assured with a narrow focus on financial return alone.

Today’s CFOs and senior business professionals require a combination of skills, behaviours and mindset, described as ‘integrative-thinking capabilities’, according to ACCA’s latest research ‘Integrative thinking: the guide to becoming a value-adding CFO’.

Report author Sharon Machado, head of sustainable business at ACCA said ‘CFOs and professionals who are ultimately accountable for well-informed decision making must be integrative in their own thinking. They need to consider the balance across the resources and meeting of differing stakeholder needs. Often, this will be in the face of incomplete, complex, uncertain or ambiguous information. CFOs need to act without being able to reliably predict the outcomes. In a fast-changing world, the organisation’s purpose and strategy may need to change, either incrementally, or sometimes, fundamentally.’

What are the integrative-thinking capabilities required by CFOs?

 

This guide explains the CFO’s five must-have integrative-thinking capabilities, and details how they are required for impact in navigating complex multi-dimensional problems, which are also explained.

·         Continually becoming – constantly evolving through nurturing personal capabilities.

·         Empathising – understanding other viewpoints and perspectives.

·         Exploring – searching out unfamiliar territory.

·         Co-creating – seizing the opportunities that arise from collaborating with others.

·         Empowering – enabling colleagues and stakeholders to take actions.

The guide also outlines development needed for integrative thinking by providing insight on six approaches professionals should take to develop their integrative-thinking capabilities.

 

Raymond Jack, CFO of ACCA, commented: ‘This guide is both a call to action and a support to all finance professionals as they embrace complicated problems, and add broader than financial value to their organisations, society and the planet. It will help CFOs of today and of the future serve their purpose better.’

Being a successful CFO is not a static end-state. Continual learning, reflection and engagement with other people, are key to being the CFO that the organisation and the world needs.

 

For more information, read the guide at our website.