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Pakistani startup OneLoad raises $11 million from investors to fund growth phase

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  • Pakistan has the third-largest unbanked population in the world.
  • OneLoad is a pioneer in Pakistan’s fintech industry.
  • OneLoad has raised $11 million from investors to fund a growth phase.

Pakistan’s micro-retailer fintech OneLoad has raised $11 million from investors to fund a growth phase as they focus on tapping the world’s third largest unbanked population, Bloomberg reported.

According to the publication, the latest round of investment was led by Sarmayacar and Shorooq Partners, in cooperation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Strategic Investment Fund, which was making its first investment in Pakistan. 

OneLoad’s Android application, which is primarily used by small shopkeepers, is Pakistan’s largest non-banking digital transaction platform, serving several million customers each month. It collaborates with banks and telecommunications companies to provide services such as payments, cash deposits, and lending.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Muhammad Yar Hiraj, founder and CEO of OneLoad, stated that the company aspires to be the “largest banking platform in the country for the unbanked world, the financially excluded market. “Our goal is to become the largest micro branch for the unbanked without owning any branches,” he said.

OneLoad has 40,000 agents and completed about $100 million in transactions last year. 

According to Hiraj, the company’s goal is to increase daily transactions to one million from the current level of up to 400,000.

Pakistan, the world’s fifth-most populous country, made headlines last year when it received a record $350 million in startup funding. According to the World Bank, the country has a total unbanked population of 110 million adults, ranking third only to India and China.

While digital payments increased in Pakistan during the pandemic, only 1% of nearly $4 trillion in payments are made digitally. Last month, Dbank completed the country’s largest early-stage fundraising round, as well as the entry of venture capital firm Sequoia Capital into Pakistan. SadaPay, another fintech startup, is expected to be the world’s fastest-growing mobile wallet in the five years to 2025, according to research from London-based fintech company Boku Inc.

In contrast to most of its competitors, OneLoad intends to expand its shopkeepers and serve daily wage workers.

According to Hiraj, the startup’s existing backer Systems Ltd. participated in the funding round, as did commercial banks that provided debt funding. The International Financial Corporation of the World Bank is another existing investor.

“We cannot have financial inclusion without solid infrastructure that integrates in people’s daily lives, if the products we build don’t seamlessly integrate with people’s every day, we will not achieve that,” said Tamer Azer, Partner at Shorooq Partners.

“This is what we learned in Egypt and this is what we see as a tremendous opportunity in Pakistan as well,” he added.

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A bid of ten billion rupees has been submitted by Blue World Consortium for the privatization of the Pan-India Airport (PIA).

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A bid of 10 billion rupees has been made by the Consortium to privatize Pakistan International Airlines.

There is only one bid from the Blue World Consortium.

The Blue World City Consortium has been the only group to submit documentation.

Through circulation, the Federal Cabinet will approve the reserve price of PIA.

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Business Leaders Are Encouraged To Keep Up With New Regulations Regarding Pakistan’s Textile Exports To Germany

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Despite the fact that Pakistan is a significant exporter of textiles to Germany, business leaders in Pakistan need to remain updated about developing laws. A conference on textiles was organized in Karachi, and German Consul General Dr. Rudiger Lotz underlined this point at the event.

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During his meeting with the Qatar Businessmen Association, the Prime Minister of Pakistan extended an invitation to invest in key sectors.

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Meeting with the Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA) delegation, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif talked about strengthening economic ties and looking into new cooperation opportunities.

His Excellency Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al-Thani led the QBA delegation, which was made up of prominent businesspeople from Qatar who each represented important economic sectors. During the discussion, prominent members of Qatar’s business sector and important leaders from Pakistan discussed how to improve trade, investment, and economic ties.QBA members in attendance included Sheikh Mansoor bin Jassim Al Thani, Chairman of the Mansoor Jassim Al Thani Group; Mr. Nabil Abu Issa, CEO of Blue Salon; Mr. Khalid Ahmed Al Mannai, Executive Director of Mannai Corporation; Mr. Salah Mohammed Jaidah, Chairman MENA & Chief Country Officer of Deutsche Bank; Mr. Yousuf Ebrahim Al-Mahmoud, Director of Sendian Group; and Mr. Salah Mohammed Jaidah, Chairman MENA & Chief Country Officer of Deutsche Bank.

By highlighting the many prospects in industries like energy, infrastructure, and finance, the prime minister made Pakistan an alluring place for foreign investment.

All of these delegates showed interest in Pakistan’s economic situation, namely in the future energy, technological, and infrastructure development initiatives under consideration.
Throughout the discussion, both parties looked at possible partnerships that may promote innovation, job creation, and sustainable development in both nations. The QBA members expressed interest in increasing their investments in Pakistan’s infrastructure and energy sectors in a positive response to the Prime Minister’s request. The significance of bilateral cooperation was emphasized in order to support regional economic growth and stability.

The meeting was also attended by Federal Ministers for Commerce Kam Kamal Khan, Finance and Revenue Mohammad Aurangzeb, and Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, as well as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif.

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