Pakistan receives another $500 million as part of $1.3 billion Chinese rollover

Pakistani labourers arrange a welcome billboard featuring the Chinese and Pakistani national flags ahead of the forthcoming visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Islamabad on April 18, 2015. (AFP/FILE)
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Updated 18 March 2023
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Pakistan receives another $500 million as part of $1.3 billion Chinese rollover

  • The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China approved $1.3 rollover facility earlier this month
  • Pakistan has so far received two installments of the facility it had repaid in the recent months

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday received the second installment of $500 million as part of $1.3 billion facility from the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the Pakistani finance minister said, as the South Asian country scrambles to shore up its dwindling forex reserves.

Islamabad repaid the $1.3 billion loan to ICBC in the recent months and the Pakistani finance ministry completed documentation for the release of the second installment earlier this week.

“State Bank of Pakistan has received today in its account from Chinese Bank ICBC $500 million,” Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Twitter.

“It will shore up forex reserves of Pakistan.”

The Chinese lender approved the rollover this month, which was to be disbursed to Pakistan in three installments. Pakistan received the first installment of $500 million on March 4 that had took the country’s foreign exchange reserves to $4 billion.

The money is crucial for the cash-strapped South Asian economy, which is facing a balance of payment crisis, with its central bank foreign exchange reserves dropping to levels barely able to cover three weeks of imports.

More external financing will only be coming to Pakistan after Islamabad signs a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The lender has been negotiating the deal with Pakistan since early last month to clear its 9th review, which if approved by its board will issue over $1 billion tranche of $6.5 billion bailout agreed in 2019.
 


Systems Limited to acquire Confiz in one of Pakistan’s biggest tech mergers

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Systems Limited to acquire Confiz in one of Pakistan’s biggest tech mergers

  • Pakistan’s largest listed IT firm to absorb Confiz through court-sanctioned merger, PSX told in disclosure
  • Deal expands Systems’ footprint in North America, Europe amid rising global demand for AI, cloud services

ISLAMABAD: Systems Limited, Pakistan’s largest listed IT services company, said on Thursday it will acquire Confiz, a global technology firm with strong operations in North America and Europe, in a merger that industry analysts describe as one of the biggest IT consolidation deals in Pakistan’s recent history.

In a disclosure to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), Systems Limited said its board had approved a plan to merge Confiz with the company. Under Pakistani company law, such mergers require a court-approved process in which one company is legally absorbed into another. Instead of paying cash, Systems will issue new shares to Confiz’s owners, effectively exchanging ownership in Confiz for ownership in Systems Limited. The merger still needs formal approval from shareholders, creditors, regulators and the Lahore High Court before it can take effect.

Announcing the deal, Systems Limited said the acquisition would significantly expand its global delivery capacity and strengthen domain expertise in high-value markets.

"This high-powered acquisition marks the beginning of a new era in how we deliver innovation, create value, and empower enterprises globally,” Systems Limited Group CEO and Managing Director Asif Peer said in a company statement.

“By integrating Confiz’s expertise with Systems Limited’s global platform, we are positioned to drive deeper innovation, further expand our footprint in North America and Europe, and deliver transformative outcomes for clients worldwide,” he added. 

“This acquisition strengthens our position as a leading technology organization and contributes to the ongoing evolution of Pakistan’s IT landscape."

The draft merger scheme will be circulated to shareholders following directions from the Lahore High Court, Systems Limited said.

According to the PSX filing, the merged entity will issue new Systems Limited shares to Confiz shareholders once the amalgamation is cleared by regulators and the court. The company’s CEO, CFO and company secretary have been authorized to finalize the Scheme of Arrangement and all associated transaction documents.

Systems Limited, founded in 1977 and widely regarded as the pioneer of Pakistan’s IT industry, has grown into a global systems integrator with operations across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The company provides large-scale digital transformation, cloud, AI engineering and managed services to Fortune 500 and major public-sector clients.

Confiz, established in 2005, has built a strong presence in the United States, Canada and Europe, specializing in retail and consumer-goods (CPG) digital transformation, advanced data engineering, AI-driven modernization and cloud solutions. The company serves several Fortune 100 enterprises and operates talent hubs across North America, EMEA, South Asia and Latin America.

A cornerstone of the merger is Confiz’s longstanding strength in retail digital transformation, a sector where demand for AI-enabled forecasting, supply-chain modernization and omnichannel commerce is accelerating. Systems said combining its scale with Confiz’s accelerators and technical depth would allow it to compete more aggressively in the US and European enterprise markets.

Pakistan’s IT exports have risen sharply in recent years as global companies expand outsourcing and cloud engineering partnerships. Analysts say the merger signals the increasing international ambition of Pakistani IT firms as they look to scale into full-service digital transformation providers competing for global enterprise contracts.