Press Releases - Aamir Ibrahim called upon overseas Pakistanis to play their part in supporting local startups.

In a message for budding entrepreneurs and investors, Jazz CEO, Aamir Ibrahim has stated that Pakistan offers an abundance of opportunities that are linked to the national challenges. The Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs Silicon Valley (OPEN SV) featured Aamir Ibrahim as a guest speaker in its webinar titled 'Realities of Investing in Pakistan'.

The interactive session was moderated by Asif Aslam, Managing Partner, Arbitrium Technology, with Silicon Valley representatives and young entrepreneurs from other parts of the world in the audience. Aamir spoke at length about the digital ecosystem, financial access, the art of investing in Pakistan, the country's scorecard in terms of ease of doing business, and the need for integrated technology.

"For now, our focus is on expanding access to 4G because we have over 80 million telecom users who are not using mobile broadband. This is a challenge and an opportunity in itself. We are working with the government in this regard, so no one is left behind in an increasingly digitized economy," said Aamir Ibrahim, while answering a question on the future of 5G in Pakistan. Citing the example of South Korea, Aamir stated that they launched 5G once the country crossed 80% 4G penetration - at less than 30% 4G penetration currently, Pakistan needs to do more.

Talking about digital financial services, Aamir suggests that mobile operators are best positioned to bridge the prevalent banking divide with JazzCash itself servicing more than 9 million users monthly. "With biometric verification, we already have people's data at hand. This eases the documentation process for new accounts.

Moreover, given our model, we have at least 3 to 4 times more branchless banks in the shape of retail agents in comparison to brick-and-mortar bank branches. The only impediment to exponential growth is the low smartphone penetration and lack of awareness about the benefits of using digital financial services among masses," he said.

"The pandemic highlighted more than ever the need for a robust digital financial ecosystem. Although the number of online transactions went up, there is still a broken e-commerce layer that needs to be filled. The good thing is that I believe that the government has changed its outlook a bit on the telecom sector given we provide a host of services that are crucial," he further added.

His views also included the need to focus on not just international investment, but local investors and local...