Pakistanis are finding hope in the KSE-100 index rally, with recent acquisitions like Aramco’s 40% stake in GO and Etisalat’s acquisition of Telenor’s local operations. However, venture capital flows are long gone and may take time to recover.

Pakistan’s position in the global mobile apps ecosystem has been the fastest growing market, with 3.5 billion downloads in 2022. It is the largest volumetric market in the MENAP region, accounting for over 35% of all installs. However, consumer spending is lower than Oman’s.

Pakistan has a strong app publisher base, with over 21,000 apps, surpassing regional peers like the UAE and Saudi Arabia. However, Pakistani developers are not capturing domestic demand, with only 221 out of 21,000 apps remaining.

Pakistan’s biggest apps are international, with local names like Daraz and InDrive having foreign roots. Small consumer spending may push domestic publishers to look beyond borders for better monetization opportunities. Pakistan’s gaming sector revenues are around $300m.

Export-driven monetisation offers opportunities for simple apps, such as note-taking and universal remote controls, as local companies like Pak Data and Vyro.ai have successfully scaled and gained significant user base.