HBL PSL Season 4 Live stream Tops 10 Million Views in 5 Matches

Karachi, February 19, 2019 (PPI-OT): HBL PSL is Pakistan’s favourite cricket event when cricket fans turn to their nearest screen to keep up with the action, and these days that means the one in their pocket – their mobile phone. This year, with matches being live-streamed on YouTube on the new official Cricket Gateway PK channel, it’s even easier to stay up to speed with every wicket.

With over 10 million views (all platforms combined) in just 5 matches, HBLPSL season 4 has been setting new livestream records, with Pakistan’s favourite rivalry (Karachi Kings vs. Lahore Qalandars) grossing 1.48 million views in one match alone, peaking at over 200,000 concurrent viewers on YouTube alone.

All this engaged viewership represents a great opportunity for brands to share relevant messages and, like last year, Pepsi, ABL, UL, RB, and more than 20 other brands ran ads. First-time brands for this year include Jazz, Telenor, P and G, Telenor Bank, and the DWP group.

“With millions of cricket fans tuning in on their mobile devices and Smart TVs, the live stream on YouTube is an ideal opportunity for brands to reach a highly engaged audience. The future of spectator sports and online advertising in Pakistan are very closely intertwined and brands should not miss out,” said Farhan Qureshi – Head of South Asia Markets, Google Asia Pacific.

Other livestream partners include Tapmad.com, Goonj.pk, Crick Wick, Jazz TV and JazzTube. With ad insertions unified at the country level, ads are delivered simultaneously at each authorized location, with streams being scanned for copyrighted content and over 4500 pirated beams banned within the first 5 matches.

On the nationwide success of HBLPSL Season 4 internet livestream, Ahsen Idris, CEO Blitz Advertising, commented:

The HBLPSL is Pakistan’s crown Jewel of Sports Entertainment. Combining it with the engaged audience of YouTube and our valued beam partners, we are committed towards ensuring that there isn’t a single internet household in Pakistan that will not have access to this content. When you put Pakistan’s best content and its biggest viewership platform together on one plate, our valued advertisers get nothing less than the best. I wouldn’t be surprised if this product matures into a 100 million viewership product within consecutive seasons.

We would once again like to thank the PCB, our JV partners TransGroup, ITW and Techfront, YouTube, our stream partners, and most importantly – our valued clients, whose faith in brand Pakistan has helped make this success possible, 4 years in a row. Our strategy, as always, is to make Pakistan’s crown jewel an ‘all-inclusive’ event, where all the premium brands of Pakistan come together and make their presence felt on the local AND international sports entertainment landscape.”

For more information, contact:
Habib Bank Limited (HBL)
Habib Bank Plaza,
I.I. Chundrigar Road,
Karachi-75650, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-32418000 (50 lines)
Fax: +92-21-39217511

HBL Makes History by Digitally Disbursing Loans of PKR 1 Billion

Karachi, February 19, 2019 (PPI-OT): HBL, one of Pakistan’s largest banks, has made history by disbursing personal loans of over PKR 1 billion through its mobile app. This has been achieved within five months of launching this digital service. HBL is the first commercial bank in Pakistan to offer its highly successful instant personal loan through HBL Mobile.

This enables customers to select and apply for a personal loan, of up to PKR 500,000, with just a few taps on their mobile phone. Customers can avail the service by simply logging in to their HBL Mobile and applying through the loan option in the menu bar.

The loan is credited instantly into their account without visiting any branch or submitting any physical documents. Currently, the service is available to a select group of customers across Pakistan exclusively through HBL Mobile. This milestone is a testament to HBL’s focus on customer experience through digital innovation.

Aamir Kureshi, Head – Global Consumer Banking at HBL expressed his delight on this achievement,

HBL launched instant personal loans via the HBL Mobile app in October 2018 and within months we have disbursed over PKR 1 billion worth of loans to thousands of our customers. The entire process is digital where loans are approved within hours of customer request and disbursed instantly. HBL continuously strives to enhance customer experience and this achievement is an example of how well our customers have received this revolutionary product which makes their life simpler.

For more information, contact:
Habib Bank Limited (HBL)
Habib Bank Plaza,
I.I. Chundrigar Road,
Karachi-75650, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-32418000 (50 lines)
Fax: +92-21-39217511

HBL Becomes First Bank in the Country to Offer Loan Facility via Mobile App

Karachi, November 26, 2018 (PPI-OT): HBL has become the first bank in the country to offer instant personal loan through its mobile application. This innovation in service is yet another step in HBL’s fulfilment of its brand promise of enabling dreams, as customers can now select and apply for a loan of their choice from the comfort of their home, in just a few taps!

The new offering seeks to provide the quickest turnaround time of loan processing seen in the financial industry as HBL revolutionizes how consumers loans are applied for and disbursed to customers.

Speaking about this, Aamir Kureshi, Head – Global Consumer Banking at HBL stated, “HBL is pleased to give unparalleled convenience to its customers by digitizing loan approval and disbursal. The entire process is paperless, and the loan can even be disbursed within minutes. The customer response has been extremely encouraging so far and we have disbursed over 1000 loans in less than 30 days of the launch.”

The product is currently available to selected salaried customers across Pakistan exclusively through HBL Mobile. Customers can avail the service by simply logging in to their HBL Mobile and applying through the loan option in the menu bar.

The loan applications then undergo credit evaluation and the response is shared within 24 hours. Customers, upon completion of the evaluation, have access to multiple loan options to select from, which can be up to Rs. 500,000, and can have the preferred loan amount credited into their account instantly.

Ishtiaq Ahmed, one of the first customers to take an instant personal loan through HBL Mobile, stated, “It took me less than 60 minutes to go through the process and I had my desired loan amount in my account instantly. Without any paperwork or without stepping into the branch even once. It was unbelievable.” This innovative service enables the customer to apply for and avail a loan without visiting any branch or filling out lengthy forms.

For more information, contact:
Habib Bank Limited (HBL)
Habib Bank Plaza,
I.I. Chundrigar Road,
Karachi-75650, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-32418000 (50 lines)
Fax: +92-21-39217511

HBL reassures it’s customers that there are no cyber-attacks on its systems and that its customers’ data remain confidential and safe

Karachi, November 07, 2018 (PPI-OT): With the increase in usage of e-commerce and plastic money (cards), globally as well as in Pakistan, there has also been an increase in the number of incidents or attempts to compromise customers’ financial data. Financial institutions across the globe continue to grapple with these challenges of providing a safe and seamless experience for their customers, and HBL is no exception to this.

In light of recent news with regard to cyber-attacks, this is to reassure that HBL and its customers are not affected. All our systems are operating business as usual and there has been no incident to date related to compromise on customer information. Please continue freely and confidently using HBL services and products.

As the leading Bank in Pakistan, HBL works closely with regulators and global payment service providers to safeguard customer information. We have been working diligently to live up to our customers’ confidence and to uphold the trust they repose in us. We have been proactively investing in our systems to ensure safety and security for our customers. We have also undertaken a number of initiatives to regularly inform and educate our customers against fraudulent activity through various media such as SMS, emails, social media, leaflets/brochures and informative messages via our digital assets.

At HBL, our customer’s financial security is our primary concern and the management of HBL reassures all its customers that it is our endeavour to continue doing our utmost best to ensure that our systems are geared up to face such challenges and to safeguarded our customers information and data.

For more information, contact:
Habib Bank Limited (HBL)
Habib Bank Plaza,
I.I. Chundrigar Road,
Karachi-75650, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-32418000 (50 lines)
Fax: +92-21-39217511

Habib Bank Limited Declares Consolidated Profit after Tax of Rs 8.1 Billion

Karachi, August 02, 2018 (PPI-OT): HBL today declared a consolidated profit after tax of Rs 8.1 billion, with earnings per share for H1 18 at Rs 5.42. Along with the results, the Board declared a dividend of Rs 1.00 per share (10%), bringing the total dividend for the six months of 2018 to Rs 2.00 per share. Profit before tax for the six months of 2018 was Rs 14.1 billion. The consolidated Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) as at June 30, 2018 crossed the 17% mark, rising to 17.1% and the Tier 1 CAR rose by 79 bps over December to 12.8%. During the quarter, the Bank’s credit ratings were also re-affirmed by JCR-VIS at AAA/A-1+ for long term and short term respectively with the rating of its subordinated debt at AA+.

HBL’s core domestic business continues on a strong trajectory, with steady growth in key drivers. Total domestic deposits increased by 8% to nearly Rs 1.9 trillion and our leading market share increased further, to 14.4%. In the first six months of 2018 alone, the Bank added Rs 119 billion in domestic CASA deposits, and the ratio of current accounts rose to 36.3% in June 2018. Even more impressively, HBL’s average current accounts increased by around Rs 80 billion, a growth of 15% compared to the first half of 2017.

With a renewed focus on robust lending growth, HBL’s domestic loan book increased by Rs 91 billion (13%) during the first six months with strong contributions from Islamic Financing, Consumer Lending and Corporate loans; the Bank’s steadily rising ADR improved to 47%, contributing to higher domestic interest income. However, with a reduction in the international balance sheet compared to 2017 levels, total net interest income declined by 2.7% to Rs 40.3 billion. In the first half of 2018, HBL continued its strong recovery performance, recording a reversal of Rs 240 million against loans, compared to a provision of Rs 564 million in H1 2017. The infection ratio further reduced to 7.6% while the coverage ratio strengthened to 91.7%.

HBL is fully committed to the financial inclusion of the country’s population and to expanding the digital retail payments infrastructure. In July, the Bank launched its proprietary and unique product, Konnect by HBL. This has received excellent market acceptance and in a few weeks, over half a million customers have been serviced. 25% of Konnect accountholders are women. Within the first month, nearly 700,000 transactions with a value of over Rs 4.5 billion have taken place on the Konnect platform. HBL continues to widen its customer franchise and footprint; during 2018, the Bank has added over 600,000 customers, who it reaches through over 1,700 branches, 2,093 ATMs, 30,000 retail outlets and nearly 19,000 POS machines across Pakistan and our digital channels of HBL Mobile and Internet Banking.

HBL is conscious of its responsibility towards the development of Pakistan and is contributing Rs 100 million towards the construction of the Diamer Bhasha and Mohmand Dams. The Bank has embarked on a global business and compliance transformation project and will continue to invest in this area, in state of the art technology, and in building on its market leading brand presence. As part of this project, we intend to transform the way we deal with our valued customers and provide them exceptional service.

For more information, contact:
Habib Bank Limited (HBL)
Habib Bank Plaza,
I.I. Chundrigar Road,
Karachi-75650, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-32418000 (50 lines)
Fax: +92-21-39217511

7Vals Lands Deal with HBL Pakistan for Facilities Operations

Karachi, March 29, 2018 (PPI-OT): Software Company 7Vals made a landmark deal with Habib Bank Limited in a contract signing ceremony in Karachi. With the help of its market-leading Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), 7Vals will help the multinational bank with the management and maintenance of its Facilities Operations across the country. The contract was finalized at HBL Plaza, Karachi, with Nassir Saleem (Head of Global Operations at HBL), Amir Matin (Head of Technology Strategy at HBL), and Syed Ali (CEO of 7Vals) in attendance.

With offices in Lahore, Pakistan as well as in Texas, US, 7Vals has been actively working on the export of cloud-based software to the global market. Founded in 2011, today the company has enabled efficient equipment maintenance for 20% of the Fortune 500s. But now, 7Vals is setting its sights closer to home, in Pakistan.

According to 7Vals founder Syed Ali:

7Vals has had a lot of success in the international market, and now we want to introduce our product to the Pakistani market. We’re hoping our work with HBL will encourage other Pakistani companies to confront business challenges head-on, and create success a little closer to home.

HBL will be using the 7Vals software for work order management, recurring maintenance, and asset custodianship in its Northern, Central, and Southern branches. The computerization and process-enforcement of maintenance and safety activities will enable businesses to adhere easily to industry standards. This is a huge step forward for the maintenance and safety culture of Pakistani businesses.

For more information, contact:
Habib Bank Limited (HBL)
Habib Bank Plaza,
I.I. Chundrigar Road,
Karachi-75650, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-32418000 (50 lines)
Fax: +92-21-39217511

Habib Bank Limitedis the only bank to have Branches in Gwadar and China

Karachi, February 02, 2018 (PPI-OT):HBL opened its branch in the Gwadar Free Zone on the 29th of January 2018, making it the only bank to have a branch in Gwadar as well as China. The branch was inaugurated by the Ambassador of China to Pakistan, Mr. Yao Jing, along with Mr. Zhang Baozhong, Chairman China Overseas Port Holding Company Ltd. and Mr. Rayomond Kotwal, Acting President and CEO, HBL.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Kotwal stated:

Today HBL stands proud as it becomes the first bank with branches in Gwadar as well as China. We are honored to be playing a leading role in supporting the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, opening new avenues of business, trade and investment between the two countries.

Last year, HBL had become the first Pakistani bank to open a branch in China. The branch was opened in Urumqi – a city with enormous potential. HBL was also the first Pakistani bank to offer CNY accounts to its customers in Pakistan. HBL offers a comprehensive product range covering corporate and individual customers, including financing, trade-based facilities, guarantees, remittances, loans, debit and credit cards and much more.

HBL’s target market is not just limited to customers in Pakistan and China but it aims to market CPEC opportunities across borders using its international reach and customer base. As a bank that is an integral part of Pakistan’s fabric, HBL aspires to contribute to economic development in Pakistan, and looks forward to enriching the lives of its customers with its commitment to banking excellence.

For more information, contact:
Habib Bank Limited (HBL)
Habib Bank Plaza,
I.I. Chundrigar Road,
Karachi-75650, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-32418000 (50 lines)
Fax: +92-21-39217511