Pakistan-origin fintech holds workforce pay workshop in Saudi Arabia

Members of Pakistan-origin fintech Abhi hosting a workforce-focused workshop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in an image shared by ABHI on February 12, 2026.
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Updated 12 February 2026
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Pakistan-origin fintech holds workforce pay workshop in Saudi Arabia

  • Riyadh event promotes earned wage access to support employee liquidity
  • Abhi Saudi says flexible pay models can boost retention and productivity

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan-origin fintech Abhi Saudi hosted a workforce-focused workshop in Riyadh, the company said in a statement on Thursday, bringing together senior business leaders to discuss employee financial well-being and flexible pay solutions as Saudi Arabia advances reforms under Vision 2030.

Abhi, a financial technology firm founded in Pakistan and operating in the Gulf through Alraedah Digital Solutions, provides earned wage access (EWA) and small and medium enterprise (SME) financing solutions.

EWA allows employees to withdraw a portion of their already-earned salary before the official payday, helping them manage short-term liquidity needs without relying on traditional credit.

Abhi partners with thousands of firms across the region, offering payroll-linked financial services to employers and their staff.

“The event focused on modern workforce strategies and flexible pay solutions, highlighting how financial well-being initiatives such as Earned Wage Access (EWA) are supporting improved employee engagement, retention, and productivity while aligning with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030,” the company said.

The “Wages Well-being Workshop” brought together professionals from sectors including telecommunications, banking, consulting and human resources to examine how changing workforce expectations are influencing compensation models and employer responsibilities amid the Kingdom’s broader economic transformation.

According to Abhi, discussions centered on the organizational impact of rigid salary structures, the link between financial stress and workplace performance and how flexible pay models could enhance financial stability without adding operational costs for employers.

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 reform agenda seeks to diversify the economy, strengthen private-sector participation and modernize labor market practices, with financial inclusion and workforce productivity forming key pillars of the strategy.


Pakistan to sign preferential trade agreement with Russia during Sharif’s upcoming visit — envoy

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Pakistan to sign preferential trade agreement with Russia during Sharif’s upcoming visit — envoy

  • Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif plans to visit ‌Russia ​on ‌March ⁠3-5, ​Russian state news ⁠agency RIA reported this month
  • Islamabad will also organize Russia-Pakistan Business Forum, which will have participation from more than 100 Pakistani firms

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is seeking to sign a preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Russia to boost bilateral trade volume during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s upcoming visit to Moscow, Pakistan’s ambassador to Moscow has said.

Pakistani Ambassador Faisal Niaz Tirmizi said this during the Moscow-Islamabad media forum, which was hosted by Sputnik ahead of Sharif’s scheduled visit to Moscow next month.

Pakistan and Russia, once Cold War rivals, have strengthened ties in recent years. In 2023, Islamabad began purchasing discounted Russian crude oil banned from European markets over Ukraine war, and also received first shipment of liquefied petroleum gas from Moscow.

The volume of Russia-Pakistan trade rose more than 100 percent to $1.81 billion from July 2023 till June 2024, though it experienced slight contraction in the last fiscal year, according to officials.

“Once the prime minister is here, we will start the process of signing PTA with the Eurasian Economic Union and the Russian Federation,” Tirmizi said at the forum.

Pakistan and Russia are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Eurasian political, economic and security organization, and have had sustained high-level interactions and institutional mechanisms in recent years.

PM Sharif plans to visit ‌Russia ​on ‌March ⁠3-5, ​Russian state news ⁠agency RIA reported this month, citing ⁠a ‌Pakistani ‌official.

Tirmizi said Russia-Pakistan ties were not only strategic or bilateral, but they had commercial, people-to-people and business dimensions as well.

“I am very happy to announce that Pakistan is also organizing the second Russia-Pakistan Business Forum during this visit,” he said.

“Over a hundred companies, hundred leading companies are coming from Pakistan to interact with the Russian partners.”