South Asia Investor Review

The Indian government reported faster-than-expected GDP growth of 8.2% for the September quarter. It came as a surprise to many economists who were expecting a slowdown based on the recent high-frequency indicators such as consumer goods sales and durable goods production, as well as two-wheeler sales. At the same time, The International Monetary Fund expressed doubts about the Indian government's GDP data.  The IMF has recently expressed doubts about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP government's GDP data. It has particularly questioned the government's statistical methodologies, inflation measurement, and the estimates of the informal economy used in reporting the country's gross domestic product. Professor Arun Kumar of Jawaharlal Nehru University believes the IMF's concerns are valid. He thinks the real size of India's economy is only half of what is officially claimed.  “The economy is almost 50% wrong – when the government says it’s $3.8 trillion, my...

Pakistan's benchmark index KSE-100 has soared nearly 40% so far in 2025, becoming Asia's best performing market, thanks largely to phenomenal growth of retail investors. About 36,000 new trading accounts in the South Asian country were opened in the September quarter, compared to 23,600 new registrations just three months ago, according to Topline Securities, a brokerage house in Pakistan.  Broad and deep participation in capital markets is essential for economic growth and wealth distribution in any country.  Pakistan's KSE-100 Index Chart. Source: Bloomberg Increase in trading accounts is helping inflows into local equity mutual funds as well. As much as 16% of total assets managed by asset management companies is now invested in stocks at the end of September, up from 9% at the start of the year, according to data from the Mutual Funds Association of Pakistan, as recently reported by  Bloomberg .  Pakistan Investment Accounts Growth. Source: Bloomberg Massive...

Pakistan recently held its second International Maritime Expo and Conference (PIMEC-25) in Karachi where it announced ambitious plans to expand its maritime sector and boost its blue economy. It is an initiative of the  Pakistan Navy , organized under the patronage of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs.  The country plans to invest a $100 billion in maritime development by expanding its national shipping fleet, building three new deep sea ports, adding a new shipyard at Gwadar, modernizing its fisheries, and upgrading maritime education. The plan called "Maritime @100" focuses on turning Pakistan into a regional maritime hub for trade, energy, food, and sustainability.  It aims to increase the sector's GDP contribution from the current 0.4%-0.8% to 4% by 2047. PIMEC 2025. Source: Lovin Karachi Pakistan has a 1,046 kilometers long coastline on the Arabian Sea with maritime sovereignty over 200 nautical miles deep Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and 150 nautical miles of C...

DreamBig, a fabless semiconductor company founded by NED University alumnus Sohail Syed, has been acquired by Advanced RISC Machines (ARM) for $265 million. The Silicon Valley-based startup is developing networking chips for data centers, with hardware specifically designed to run AI applications. The startup  does not manufacture its own chips but instead licenses its designs to other semiconductor companies. It has had a partnership with Samsung’s foundry division to bring its hardware to market.  Sohail Syed, Founder and CEO of DreamBig Semiconductors Here's how DreamBig Semiconductor describes itself on its  website : "DreamBig Semiconductor is a chiplet-based networking company dedicated to providing comprehensive, high throughput solutions for the AI, Datacenter, edge compute and Automotive markets. Headquartered in San Jose, CA, USA, we have over 200 employees globally and partnerships with the largest semiconductor companies in the world.  Founded by RDMA exp...

"Ana minkum wa alaikum" declared Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City in his victory speech on November 4, 2025. The phrase translates to "I am from you and  and I am with you".  "New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants and, as of tonight, led by an immigrant", he added. Mamdani is the first Muslim and first immigrant of South Asian descent elected  New York City Mayor. At 34, he is not only the youngest but also the first mayor of the Big Apple who was born in Africa.  Zohran Mamdani Speaking Outside the Bronx Islamic Center With his landslide victory in the mayoral race, Mandani will join London Mayor Sadiq Khan to become the second Muslim mayor of a major western city.  Mamdani became the first New York mayoral candidate to win over a million votes since the 1960s — more than Rudy Giuliani or Mike Bloomberg ever received. Mamdani has received 50.4% of the votes counted so far. Cuomo is at...