Rust adoption climbs as Careem rewrites its core services

Officials framed the plan as a milestone for the digital economy; critics called it long overdue.

A new report from the National Incubation Center shows that nearly half of freelancers are under 30, raising fresh questions about how quickly the sector can scale.

Not everyone is convinced. Critics point to a shortage of skilled engineers, unreliable power supply and a tax regime that changes almost every budget cycle as reasons for caution.

Government officials welcomed the development. A spokesperson for the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority said the initiative "aligns with the national digital agenda" and promised faster approvals for similar projects.

The road ahead

The numbers tell part of the story. Freelancers in Pakistan brought in $40 million in Q4 2026, and the country remains one of the largest suppliers of online talent in the world.

"We built this for the next hundred million users, not the first ten."
Nadia Hussain, venture partner at NayaPay

For consumers, the immediate impact is likely to be modest. Prices are expected to stay flat until at least April, and the new features will roll out gradually across the country.

What happens next

The company said the initiative would create roughly 250 jobs over the next two years, most of them in Lahore and Karachi. It did not disclose the size of the investment, but people familiar with the plans put the figure at between $250 million and $600 million.

Key points

Roughly 50 jobs expected over the next two years
Funding round values the company at about $12 million
Regulatory approval from the Karachi Chamber of Commerce still pending
Pricing to remain unchanged until at least February

Still, questions remain about long-term sustainability. Margins in the software exports business are thin, and customer acquisition costs have risen sharply since 2019.

Behind the scenes, the deal took nearly 50 months to negotiate, according to two people involved in the talks who asked not to be named because the discussions were private.

Reporting by the WritePures newsroom. Have a tip? Contact our editors.