OICCI

OICCI First Port of Call for foreign investments in Pakistan

This Independence Day, we look beyond the usual headlines to see what has actually moved in Pakistan over the past few y...
14/08/2026

This Independence Day, we look beyond the usual headlines to see what has actually moved in Pakistan over the past few years. ICT exports have nearly doubled from $2.1 billion in FY21 to $3.8 billion in FY25, with freelancers and digital services becoming an increasingly important source of foreign exchange.

At the same time, distributed solar has quietly reshaped the country’s energy mix, generating an estimated 51 TWh in FY25, or around 27% of total electricity generation. Public awareness of AI tools in Pakistan is among the highest recorded globally, and digital channels now account for roughly 90% of retail payment transactions by volume.

These changes do not erase Pakistan’s wider economic challenges, but they show that progress is taking place in new industries, new technologies and new ways of producing and earning. On its 80th Independence Day, these are some of the shifts worth measuring.

As Pakistan marks 79 years of independence, OICCI celebrates the resilience, ambition and determination that continue to...
13/08/2026

As Pakistan marks 79 years of independence, OICCI celebrates the resilience, ambition and determination that continue to shape the country’s journey.

Over the decades, Pakistan has made meaningful strides across its economy and society, while its people and businesses continue to adapt, innovate and create new opportunities.

As the voice of leading foreign investors in Pakistan, OICCI remains committed to supporting an environment that encourages investment, strengthens economic competitiveness and enables sustainable growth.

On this Independence Day, we look ahead with optimism and a shared commitment to building a stronger, more prosperous and more competitive Pakistan.

Happy Independence Day, Pakistan!

A delegation from the U.S. Consulate General Karachi, comprising Lucas Caltrider, Economic Unit Chief; Mark Calamari, Ec...
12/08/2026

A delegation from the U.S. Consulate General Karachi, comprising Lucas Caltrider, Economic Unit Chief; Mark Calamari, Economic Officer; and Fahd Zaidi, Economic Specialist visited OICCI for a discussion on Pakistan’s investment landscape and opportunities to strengthen trade and investment relations on August 11,2026.

The delegation was welcomed by OICCI SG M. Abdul Aleem, Research Lead Sakina Chakera and Senior Research Officer Hasan Rashid.

During the meeting, M. Abdul Aleem shared an overview of OICCI’s activities, objectives and key publications, along with insights into business and investment perceptions in Pakistan. The discussion covered Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), skilled workforce development, minerals, food security and energy security, as well as key challenges within the investment climate and opportunities to improve the business environment and trade relations.

The delegation informed that a U.S. trade delegation is tentatively scheduled to arrive later this year with a focus on the agriculture sector. They also discussed opportunities for further engagement and interaction.

OICCI's Digital Report 2025: Recommendations for Pakistan's Digital Future highlights PKR 70 trillion worth of mobile an...
11/08/2026

OICCI's Digital Report 2025: Recommendations for Pakistan's Digital Future highlights PKR 70 trillion worth of mobile and internet banking payment transactions and PKR 547 trillion worth of digital payment transactions in 2024. At the same time, 75–80% of retail transactions remain cash-based, while consumer protection gaps exist in nano-loans.

The report recommends digital-only payments for government services, expanding Raast to all G2P and P2G payments, standardizing the QR system and increasing public awareness, introducing alternative MSME credit models and a dedicated Fund for SME Financing, and capping cash transactions at EPOS.

Pakistan’s low savings rate reflects a broader challenge in converting household income into productive capital. For man...
10/08/2026

Pakistan’s low savings rate reflects a broader challenge in converting household income into productive capital. For many low-income households, rising living costs leave little room for saving, while the formal financial system remains inaccessible to large segments of the population.

Unlike regional peers that increased savings rates to support investment-led growth, Pakistan has relied more heavily on external financing and borrowing. Building a stronger domestic savings base requires expanding access to formal savings products, encouraging long-term investment, and creating conditions where private-sector investment can compete for capital. For businesses, stronger domestic savings can provide a more stable source of financing for expansion, innovation, and job creation.

07/08/2026

Pakistan’s wheat crisis was not a story of insufficient production, but of weak market coordination and policy design. Despite achieving a record wheat harvest of 31.47 million tonnes in FY2023-24, Pakistan imported 3.59 million tonnes of wheat, pushing closing stocks to 4.64 million tonnes and creating excess supply at the time of harvest.

As government procurement was sharply reduced, particularly in Punjab where purchases fell to zero, farmers faced falling prices without adequate alternative channels to store, finance or sell their produce. The episode highlights a broader challenge for Pakistan’s food economy: improving the quality of agricultural data, creating transparent import and export mechanisms, and developing private-sector infrastructure such as storage, commodity financing and market linkages.

A more predictable wheat market would not only protect farmers and consumers but also create greater confidence for investment across agriculture, food processing and supply chain sectors.

OICCI's Digital Report 2025: Recommendations for Pakistan's Digital Future highlights increasing adoption of precision f...
07/08/2026

OICCI's Digital Report 2025: Recommendations for Pakistan's Digital Future highlights increasing adoption of precision farming, IoT, and AI tools, as well as platforms connecting farmers to markets and information.

To address barriers including connectivity, cost, and low digital literacy, the report recommends expanding rural connectivity and digital tools, enabling digital financing for farmers, providing training and awareness programs, and ensuring small farmers are included.

OICCI’s Digital Report 2025: Recommendations for Pakistan’s Digital Future highlights the current status of Fiber Infras...
06/08/2026

OICCI’s Digital Report 2025: Recommendations for Pakistan’s Digital Future highlights the current status of Fiber Infrastructure & Connectivity in Pakistan.

While Pakistan has around 150 million broadband users, only ~17.9% of towers are fiberized compared to the global benchmark of ~40%. High taxes, regulatory delays, and concentrated international connectivity continue to impact infrastructure rollout.

The report recommends accelerating nationwide fiber deployment, reducing taxes and duties on telecom infrastructure, enabling PPP models, developing additional landing stations, and increasing spectrum availability and affordability to strengthen Pakistan’s digital connectivity.

Pakistan Innovation

On the invitation of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), OICCI Secretary General M. Abdul Aleem, accompanied by Executiv...
05/08/2026

On the invitation of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), OICCI Secretary General M. Abdul Aleem, accompanied by Executive Director Kashif Shafi and senior representatives from OICCI member companies, met with Rashid Mahmood Langrial, Chairman, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), and senior FBR leadership at the Customs House, Karachi.

During the meeting, OICCI highlighted the importance of addressing long-pending tax refunds, which continue to impact business operations and investor confidence, and proposed a phased approach for their settlement. The Chairman FBR shared that a transparent mechanism is being developed and will be shared with OICCI to facilitate the timely processing of tax refunds. Discussions also focused on simplifying tax administration through greater digitization, reducing compliance complexities and strengthening collaboration between the FBR and the corporate sector to promote a more transparent, predictable and investment-friendly taxation framework.

OICCI reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with the FBR to support reforms that facilitate ease of doing business, strengthen investor confidence, and contribute to Pakistan's sustainable economic growth.

OICCI's Digital Report 2025: Recommendations for Pakistan's Digital Future highlights the current state of Pakistan's da...
05/08/2026

OICCI's Digital Report 2025: Recommendations for Pakistan's Digital Future highlights the current state of Pakistan's data center and cloud infrastructure. While the market is growing, energy costs, unreliable power, regulatory fragmentation, and the growing need for data sovereignty and local hosting remain key challenges.

The report recommends promoting private-sector and green data centers, establishing a National Data Centre Task Force, developing cloud skills through industry-academia partnerships, and strengthening governance through open data, standards, and the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).

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