Chinese Bank Opens in Karachi

China's banking giant,the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)has opened its branches in Karachi and Islamabad, Xinhua reported.

Recently ICBC has opened five new branches in major European capitals - in Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Madrid and Milan. The banking giant already has branches in Moscow, London, Frankfurt and Luxembourg

Addressing the inaugural ceremony in Islamabad on Friday, Pakistan's Pres. Zardari said that the ICBC initiative to open branches in the country would begin a new era of cooperation in the banking sector of the two countries.

“The opening of ICBC branches, which coincides with the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Pakistan and China, will take the economic relations between the two countries to new heights,” Zardari said.

The president hoped the ICBC’s investment in the country would prove to be profitable and that the bank would play a prominent role in channeling bilateral investments.

Where to Put My Money

At a time when Pakistan's economic situation is so much volatile and bank interest rates are at the lowest, everyone is wondering where to put their money. For starters there is the stock market. Yes, really. Unless you genuinely believe capitalism is dead, the stock market should be considered. It has consistently outperformed every other asset class, including Real Estate.

Some companies in the Karachi Stock Exchange pay a very high dividend. Okay, it is conceivable in these unprecedented times that this oil giant will cut payments to shareholders, but it seems a risk worth taking. If you don't have the luxury of time – a prerequisite for investing in shares – there are other options.

Like you can invest in National Savings where the rate of interest is very high compare to other avenues and also the situation is not as volatile as in Stocks. But again the problem is Pakistani Rupee which is depreciating since the new Pakistan Peoples Party government sworn in.

So you can also turn to the last refuge of the desperate: gold, which is proving an impressive, if volatile, performer during the financial crisis. Either buy the stuff via gold exchange traded funds, which trade on the stock market, or pop down to a bullion dealer and buy a bar of the hard stuff which you can then store it in your cellar. Other things you can do is: Buy an Apartment, A Car, Invest in Mutual Funds, Start a Business or Go Shopping.