Latest news with #InternationalMarkets
Business Recorder
10-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Global e-commerce sites: PM says 300,000 Pakistan-made products selling like hot cakes
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif bragged on Thursday that more than 300,000 Pakistan-made products are now being sold like hot cakes on giant e-commerce sites including Alibaba – a massive boost for local entrepreneurs. The bold claim came during a high-level meeting with Alibaba's top executives, led by James Dong, President of International Markets, who was full of praise for Pakistan's booming e-commerce scene. Sharif – never one to sit still – immediately ordered a taskforce to turbo charge the country's digital trade game, aimed at getting even more Pakistani businesses hawking their wares online. 'E-commerce isn't just the future, it's the backbone of our export-driven economy,' Sharif declared, signalling a clear push to turn Pakistan into a global trade hotspot. Dong spilled the tea, revealing Pakistani textiles are flying off Alibaba's virtual shelves like wildfire. The executive sees 'unlimited potential' for Pakistan's online trade explosion and is ready to unleash technical training to help local entrepreneurs cash in big time. The closed-door sit-down also had Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman Rashid Langrial, and other top brass in attendance. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Zawya
07-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Small Businesses Embrace Social— But Could be Missing a Trick in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
According to the GoDaddy ( 2025 Global Entrepreneurship Survey, nearly half of small businesses in now primarily operate online, using websites, marketplaces, or social media to sell. This shows a clear shift as entrepreneurs embrace digital channels to reach customers, grow sales, and stay competitive in today's market. Social Media: A Key Tool with Real Challenges Social media plays a major role in how small businesses operate and grow. 80% of entrepreneurs say it's important to their sales strategy, and half (50%) say it's very important. It has also become the top place to learn about running a business: 59% turn to social media for insights, ahead of traditional educational resources like books and blogs (40%), and artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT (37%). But while the value is clear, so are the challenges. When it comes to managing their social media presence, many entrepreneurs struggle with content. 37% say it's hard to come up with engaging ideas for posts, and another 33% don't have enough time to create and post regularly. Even when content is shared, converting engagement into sales remains difficult—51% say they have trouble converting followers into customers, and 54% can't reach the right audience. 'At GoDaddy, we realize how much potential entrepreneurs have—and we also understand how hard it is to turn online effort into real growth,' said Selina Bieber, Vice President of International Markets at GoDaddy. 'That's why we're focused on giving them smart, easy tools like Show in Bio ( that can help turn social engagement into actual sales, without adding more work.' These hurdles show that while social media is essential, it's not easy. Entrepreneurs need smarter tools and support to turn digital activity into real business growth. The Rise of Digital-First Small Businesses Running a business today means going beyond a physical store. While 31% of small businesses still work mainly from a physical location, the online world is catching up with 19% now run their business primarily through their own website. Another 28% operate mostly on social media. Sales channels also reflect this shift. Though 36% sell in person, 18% use online stores or marketplaces, and another 31% sell directly through social media. This mix of physical and digital approaches shows that small businesses are finding new ways to meet customers—whether in-store, online, or on social media. The ability to combine different methods indicates a significant evolution in business' ability to adapt to customers' needs and preferences. The Need for Smarter Tools and AI Support As entrepreneurs go digital, many know exactly what would help them sell on social. More than half (59%) say they need better ways to reach the right audience, almost half (48%) want simpler tools for creating and posting content, and over a third (39%) want insights into what is working and is not, highlighting a clear demand for practical, time-saving solutions. The Opportunity Ahead As more small businesses move online, the need for effective tools and support continues to grow. GoDaddy is committed to helping entrepreneurs succeed with easy-to-use solutions like Show in Bio ( GoDaddy Studio ( and GoDaddy Airo® ( all designed to simplify digital marketing and turn engagement into real results. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of GoDaddy. About GoDaddy: GoDaddy helps millions of entrepreneurs globally start and scale their businesses. People come to GoDaddy to name their idea, build a website and logo, sell their products and services, and accept payments. GoDaddy Airo®, the company's AI-powered experience, makes growing a small business faster and easier by helping them to get their idea online in minutes, drive traffic and boost sales. GoDaddy's expert guides are available 24/7 to provide assistance. To learn more about the company, visit
Reuters
03-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Vodacom names new international markets CEO
June 3 (Reuters) - Vodacom Group (VODJ.J), opens new tab named its Egypt CEO Mohamed Abdallah as the new top boss for Vodacom International Markets on Tuesday. Under the expanded role, Abdallah will oversee operations in additional African markets including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Mozambique and Tanzania, the company said.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
KBC Group: First-quarter result of 546 million euros
KBC Group – overview (consolidated, IFRS) 1Q2025 4Q2024 1Q2024 Net result (in millions of EUR) 546 1 116 506 Basic earnings per share (in EUR) 1.32 2.75 1.18 Breakdown of the net result by business unit (in millions of EUR) Belgium 281 487 243 Czech Republic 207 238 197 International Markets 135 175 146 Group Centre -77 215 -80 Parent shareholders' equity per share (in EUR, end of period) 58.8 56.6 54.9'We recorded a net profit of 546 million euros in the first quarter of 2025. Compared to the result of the previous quarter, our total income benefited from several factors, including increased insurance revenues, trading and fair value income and net other income, while net interest income and net fee and commission income were slightly down as a result of seasonality and some positive year-end effects in the fourth quarter of 2024. Our loan portfolio continued to expand, increasing by 2% quarter-on-quarter and by 7% year-on-year. Customer deposits – excluding volatile, low-margin short-term deposits at KBC Bank's foreign branches – were stable quarter-on-quarter (with a shift from term deposits to savings accounts) and up 7% expenses were up, since the bulk of the bank and insurance taxes for the full year are recorded – as usual – in the first quarter. Disregarding bank and insurance taxes, operating expenses fell by 8% quarter-on-quarter. Insurance service expenses also fell, as did loan loss impairment charges, resulting in a very favourable credit cost ratio of just 8 basis points for the quarter under review (16 basis points excluding the changes in the reserve for geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainties).Our solvency position remained strong, with an unfloored fully loaded common equity ratio under Basel IV of 14.5% at the end of March 2025. Our liquidity position remained very solid too, as illustrated by an LCR of 157% and NSFR of 140%. On 8 May 2025, we paid a final dividend of 3.15 euros per share, bringing the total dividend for full-year 2024 to 4.85 euros per share. We also updated our dividend and capital deployment policy. As from 2025, we will pay a dividend of between 50% and 65% of our consolidated result, 1 euro of which will be paid in November as an interim dividend. We aim to remain amongst the better capitalised financial institutions in Europe. Each year, when announcing the full-year results, our Board will take a decision – at its discretion - on capital deployment. The focus will predominantly be on further organic growth alongside mergers and acquisitions. We see a 13% unfloored fully loaded common equity ratio as the minimum. Furthermore, KBC reached an agreement to acquire 98.45% of in Slovakia based on a total value for of 761 million euros. This investment will allow us to further strengthen our position in the Slovak market while closing the gap with the top three players in the banking sector. is a retail-focused bank with subsidiaries in asset management and consumer finance and is very complementary to the business of KBC's existing Slovak subsidiary ČSOB, leading to significant cost, revenue (cross-selling) and funding synergies. KBC will particularly strengthen its reach in retail banking as well as benefit from access to the unique client base and distribution network of and its exclusive partnership with Slovak Post. Closure of the deal is subject to regulatory approval and will reduce our unfloored fully loaded common equity ratio by approximately 50 basis points upon closing, which is expected by the end of this year. Recent weeks have been characterised by unprecedented macro-economic (trade) uncertainty as a result of the US policy on trade tariffs and its repercussions on the financial markets. Nevertheless, we confirm our short-term and long-term financial guidance. Last but not least, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude towards our customers, employees, shareholders and all other stakeholders for their continued trust in our group. JohanThijsChief Executive Office Attachments 1q2025-quarterly-report-en 1q2025-pb-en
