logo
International travellers: Kaspersky launches new connectivity solution

International travellers: Kaspersky launches new connectivity solution

ISLAMABAD: A global cybersecurity company on Thursday introduced a new connectivity solution for international travellers including Pakistanis traveling aboard, empowers users with easy internet access across 150 countries and regions.
Kaspersky eSIM Store is a new connectivity solution for international travel. Designed to make it easier for leisure and business travellers to stay online globally, it empowers users with easy internet access across 150+ countries and regions, with a choice of over 2,000 affordable data plans and transparent conditions without any roaming fees.
The production of eSIM-compatible devices has increased tenfold in the last five years according to the GSMA. By 2028, it is expected that half of all mobile connections worldwide will use eSIM technology. This rise in popularity is driven by eSIM's convenience and ease of use – eliminating the need for physical SIM cards and enabling a hassle-free experience wherever you go.
To meet this growing trend, Kaspersky eSIM Store provides access to eSIM plans from local telecom operators all over the world with an easy interface and simple management.
While traveling, an eSIM can help users avoid high roaming costs on a primary SIM, remove the need to search for a local SIM kiosk and share personal data with them, as well as avoiding the use of unsecured public Wi-Fi networks. Kaspersky eSIM Store features a user-friendly interface for plan selection, purchase, top-ups, and data usage management. Travellers can choose their preferred activation date, allowing them to set up their eSIM in advance and be connected the moment their trip begins all in just a few taps.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Open market: currency dealers aim to double remittance inflows with increased margin in FY26
Open market: currency dealers aim to double remittance inflows with increased margin in FY26

Business Recorder

time3 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

Open market: currency dealers aim to double remittance inflows with increased margin in FY26

Currency dealers in the open market have projected to double the inflows of workers' remittances sent home by overseas Pakistanis in one year, aiming to attract $8-10 billion in the new fiscal year 2025-26 after the central bank jacked up their rate of margin to Rs22 a dollar with effect from Tuesday. According to the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP), the exchange companies (EC) attracted a total of $4 billion in the previous fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, while they were paid Rs2 for brining each dollar in Pakistan from expatriates. Pakistan receives record $4.1bn in remittances in March, says SBP governor Referring a circular of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) issued on Monday, ECAP Chairman Malik Bostan told the Business Recorder that the central bank has included exchange companies (ECs) in Pakistan Remittance Initiative (PRI), surging their rebate to Rs22/$ from Rs2/$ paid till June 30, 2025. 'Our inclusion in PRI has provided us (ECs/currency dealers) a level playing field,' he said. Banks in Pakistan attracted $33 billion in FY25, compared to $4 billion by exchange companies operating in the open market. ECs sold almost all the received workers' remittances of $4 billion in inter-bank market in FY25, helping the central bank to consolidate its foreign exchange reserves and finance trade deficit during the year. There are residing almost 15 million Pakistani expatriates in across the world with 70% of them living alone in two leading Middle Eastern countries namely Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They sent a total of $35 billion in the first 11-month of FY25 from across the globe, up by 29% compared to the same period of FY24, it was learnt. ECAP chairman said Pakistani workers abroad collectively earn around $8 billion per month in salaries. 'If all of this money were sent to Pakistan, it could significantly strengthen our economy, reserves, and the Pakistani rupee. Right now, only $3–4 billion is being sent, while the remaining $4 billion is either being kept in foreign bank accounts or invested in places like Dubai, Europe, or the Middle East,' he said.

Ranked 100th – Celebrate Like #1
Ranked 100th – Celebrate Like #1

Business Recorder

time19 hours ago

  • Business Recorder

Ranked 100th – Celebrate Like #1

After a year of economic turbulence, Pakistan's economy seems to have crawled out of intensive care. Inflation has cooled. The current account is no longer haemorrhaging. The rupee has stopped fainting. The doctors in charge—whoever and wherever they are—deserve a polite golf clap. Of course, deep structural flaws remain, and the recent budget did little to suggest reformist ambitions, but that's a story for another day. For now, it's fair to say: things were bad, they're less bad now. Celebrate? Sure. Overstate? Apparently, yes. Fabricate? Why not! One might assume that a government enjoying full-spectrum dominance—with the judiciary nodding, the military saluting, and the opposition napping—wouldn't need to invent good news. There's real stuff to work with. But Islamabad, ever the overachiever in narrative control, just can't help itself. Take, for instance, the recent spectacle over the Henley Passport Index. The Government of Pakistan's official X account proudly declared, 'Pakistan's Passport Earns Global Recognition', hailing it as a 'notable milestone in Global Mobility.' Sounds impressive—until you read the fine print: Pakistan ranks 100th out of 103. Only Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan are below. Global mobility, indeed—just not forward. Officials even credited 'new e-gates' at domestic airports for this international breakthrough. One imagines a team of bureaucrats proudly scanning their own passports at Islamabad Airport and calling it a visa-free success. Never mind that Pakistan's 'global mobility' score of 32 means visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to just 32 countries—a list that could double as a geography quiz most Pakistanis would fail. Go ahead, try finding Tuvalu, Niue, or Palau Islands on a map—or even spelling them. When your mobility milestone includes access to Vanuatu, Micronesia, and Montserrat, the only thing moving globally is the punchline. Faced with ridicule, the post vanished. Deleted. No clarification. No accountability. Just a digital puff of wait—there's more. Another round of chest-thumping emerged from a supposed 'Bloomberg Intelligence Global Emerging Market Default Risk Ranking,' where Pakistan, topped the chart. Yes, Pakistan's default risk outlook has improved. Credit default swaps have narrowed. Ratings agencies have softened their tone. But why let nuance get in the way of a perfectly viral slogan? By no stretch of imagination does this indicate Pakistan being the 'most improved economy' in the world as headlines have had it. It would be funny, if it weren't so tragic. Because here's the real scoreboard: 44 percent of Pakistanis live below the poverty line. 52 percent of households still use firewood to cook. 22 percent don't have a kitchen. 25 million children are out of school. In a country with such staggering deficits in human development, spending energy on barely believable self-congratulatory fiction should be—at best—a footnote. At worst, a farce. Here's hoping that simply pointing out the bare minimum doesn't irk the 'hybrid.' Then again, satire is only dangerous when it holds a mirror.

Crackdown underway: Pakistan's FIA identifies investors with AED 2m real estate holdings in UAE
Crackdown underway: Pakistan's FIA identifies investors with AED 2m real estate holdings in UAE

Business Recorder

time2 days ago

  • Business Recorder

Crackdown underway: Pakistan's FIA identifies investors with AED 2m real estate holdings in UAE

ISLAMABAD: The resident Pakistanis who have made a qualifying investment of at least 2.0 million AED in real estate in Dubai/ UAE have been identified from the immigration data maintained by the FIA at the airports, and a major crackdown under the income tax laws and anti-money laundering regulations is under way. As per sources, thousands of Pakistani residents are holding 10-year golden visas (Residence/ Iqama) of the UAE issued due to investment of at least AED 2.0 million. These Pakistanis use the Golden Residence card at the Pakistan immigration counters while travelling to the UAE, which is scanned and saved in the FIA Immigration portal. The residence card (Iqama) contains the following information: Pakistani passport number and name; Profession – Property owner; Sponsor – Self Sponsor; and Issue date/ Expiry date – 10 years. 'Dubai Unlocked': Pakistanis own properties worth $11bn in emirate city, report says From the above data, the property investor can easily be identified and it can be ascertained whether investment in UAE property has been declared in their wealth statement or not. As per sources, the majority of resident Pakistanis have neither declared this investment in UAE properties in their wealth statements nor the rental income/ capital gain in shown in the return of total income. Similarly, CVT on foreign assets is also not paid. When contacted for comments, Shahid Jami, tax consultant, explained that though there is a tax treaty between Pakistan and UAE, which includes an Article for exchange of information but UAE has reportedly not provided information to Pakistani tax authorities. Similarly, under the Automatic Exchange of Information treaty, financial data is not provided as bank accounts are opened in UAE by using the residence permit as an identity document instead of a Pakistani passport. Jami added that due to the aforementioned factors, there is a tendency not to declare the investment made. Similarly, for investment, the use of informal remittances is also available easily at an affordable cost. He stated that, therefore, those taxpayers who declared foreign assets under the amnesty scheme now feel that they have made a mistake, as those who did not declare are outside the radar without any fear of being caught. Jami explained that tax laws have become very stringent, and in respect of foreign assets, the erstwhile limitation of five years is not applicable. He advised the taxpayers not to suppress foreign assets and not to violate foreign exchange regulations. When asked how to make lawful foreign investment and legitimate tax-free earnings, he stated that tax planning schemes within the framework of law are available, and very few compliant taxpayers are already availing those. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store