How Raast facilitates cross border digital payments
State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmed recently announced that Pakistan has reached a significant milestone by enabling cross-border payments in Pakistani rupees between Pakistan and Arab countries. This has been achieved by integrating the country's Raast instant payment system with the Buna platform of the Arab Monetary Fund. Moreover, Pakistan's central bank is working towards allowing e-wallet holders in the country to make direct payments in China via online banking, as part of its broader initiative to enhance regional financial connectivity and promote digitalization. The SBP also unveiled plans to launch the third National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) 2028 during the fiscal year 2024-25. This strategy aims to expand banking services to 75% of the adult population, up from the current 60%, with the goal that by 2028, 25% of these users will be women. Raast is Pakistan's first instant payment platform which enables end-to-end digital payments between individuals, businesses and government
Starlink Satellite Fast Internet: PTA to grant license to Starlink
Officials at PTA confirm that Starlink would have to go for a commercial agreement with Suparco. In an effort to increase internet speed throughout the country, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has moved one step further by intending to issue a license to Starlink—a satellite internet company by Elon Musk. The officials from the PTA said that, in principle, a license has already been given to Starlink; now, the final step will be when the security clearance comes through, after which Starlink will be officially licensed. "Starlink's license is ready, and only security clearance is pending," PTA confirms to the reporters. The new high-speed satellite internet service, Starlink, is going to be introduced in the near future, and this can give a major fillip to internet connectivity over large parts of the country, especially in those rural and remote areas where conventional broadband services are either unavailable or slow. The PTA officials, who initially started
PTA wants to ensure registration of VPNs to ensure ‘uninterrupted operations’ in eye-opening article
PTA is concerned about VPN usage The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has announced the registration of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) through a "one window" system to support software companies, call centers, freelancers, and foreign missions/embassies in maintaining legitimate, secure, and uninterrupted operations, according to an authority statement. The statement further mentioned that this is an ongoing process being continuously optimized by the PTA, Ministry of Information Technology (MoIT), Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), and P@SHA. Since 2020, over 20,000 IPs have been registered for VPNs, the telecom regulator noted. The regulator also stated that the one window services are accessible via the PTA and PSEB websites. Earlier this month, amid reports suggesting a ban on VPNs, the PTA clarified that it was whitelisting VPNs through an "automated process" to ensure the smooth and secure operation of IT services and online businesses. This clarification followed PTA Chairman Hafeezur Rehman’s briefing to the Senate's Standing Committee on
ChatGPT’s New Power to Generate Images & Craft Illustrated Books
OpenAI's wildly successful ChatGPT chatbot now features an AI image creator. This marks a new milestone in the fast-paced digital world. In recent times, the Microsoft-backed business revealed DALL-E 3, the most recent version of the programme that enables users to create images with "significantly more nuance and detail" than earlier versions. OpenAI researchers assert that users will now be able to "brainstorm" ideas with the artificial intelligence by combining the capabilities of its two different generative AI tools. Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI, provided a use case for the dual capabilities by stating that it could write and illustrate a children's bedtime story from a few basic prompts. It is pertinent to mention that due to their incapacity to comprehend precise demands, current text-to-image systems, such Midjourney or OpenAI's Dall-E 2, frequently misinterpret commands from users. As a result, prompt engineers—also referred to as prompt wizards—have begun to appear. They receive training to
