GUIDINGBUSINESSESSINCE 1983

First credits issued under the improved rice methodology

Verra announced first credits under VM0051, from a project in India reporting over 210,000 tonnes CO2-equivalent avoided through water and crop management including alternate wetting and drying. A precedent worth studying; any project here still needs its own eligibility assessment.

Firms using AI daily are the ones with documented processes

Commissioned survey

In a survey of 526 senior New Zealand professionals, 49% use AI in daily workflows and 94% expect no reduction in team numbers next year. Among daily users, 89% report well-documented core processes against 30% of non-users. The link is observed, not proven.

3.3 million UK businesses have fewer than ten employees

Commissioned research

Research for Xero by Cebr counts 3.3 million businesses under ten employees across 20 UK sectors, with £868 billion of combined turnover. Turnover is not spending on outsourced bookkeeping, and the research does not establish appetite for offshore services.

5,241 companies registered in September

SECP reports 5,241 new companies, taking the register to 317,002, with 99.9% of registrations completed online. Registration counts measure formation, not survival, turnover or trading activity.

Carbon prices stay split by market and by quality

Specialist analysis

CORE Markets reports mixed registry activity, stronger buyer preference for quality signals and growing CORSIA-eligible supply. Australian ACCUs closed September at AU$38.40 and New Zealand units at NZ$52.60. Those prices are not interchangeable, nor indicative offers for Pakistani credits.

IMF staff agreement reached, funding still conditional

Awaiting Board approval

IMF staff agreed the fourth EFF review and third RSF review. Approval would make around US$1 billion and US$210 million available. A staff-level agreement is not a disbursement, so keep downside assumptions for energy prices, currency and external financing.

First food-loss and waste credits approved

Verra approved first credits under VM0046, from a US surplus-food rescue project reporting roughly 720,000 tonnes of avoided emissions. Reducing waste does not by itself qualify: a measurable intervention has to meet the methodology.

92% of recorded retail transactions are now digital

SBP reports 14.3 billion retail transactions through formal banking channels in FY2025-26, of which 13.2 billion were digital, up from 88% a year earlier. For finance teams this means reconciling bank, wallet, merchant and processor records against sales and refunds.

Announced offshore expansions continue

Tracked sample

Site Selection Group records 5,600 announced jobs across nine expansions or new sites in September, against 450 jobs lost to two closures. These are announced roles in a tracked sample rather than realised hiring, and several announcements predate September.

US hiring slows while wages keep rising

Nonfarm payrolls rose 29,000 in September, unemployment was 4.2%, and private-sector hourly earnings were up 3.0% year on year, with July and August revised down by 60,000 combined. Wage pressure is context for offshore proposals, not evidence of more outsourcing.

Another apartment REIT lists, with further reforms flagged

SECP marked the listing of Naya Nazimabad Apartment REIT and described work to make REIT structures more accessible. Property owners and developers now have a regulated example to examine. Announced reform work is not the same as final amendments.

Inflation stays in double digits at 10.26%

PBS reports September CPI at 10.26% year on year and 1.27% month on month, averaging 10.20% across July to September. Slower annual inflation does not mean prices fell: budgets, wage assumptions and working capital still need refreshing.

Project-review prioritisation widens from 14 October

From 14 October

Verra's pilot expands to registration, any verification instance and combined requests, using prioritisation fees and issuance-fee deposits. Check eligibility and cost before scheduling: priority does not guarantee approval, issuance or a completion date.

Services exports up 28.8%, current-account deficit narrows

Services exports reached US$1.81 billion in July and August, and the current-account deficit narrowed to US$543 million from US$853 million a year earlier. Goods imports still grew faster than goods exports. This is aggregate services, not a measure of any one industry.

Manufacturing data turns up, unevenly

Large-scale manufacturing grew 3.03% year on year in July. Vehicle sales rose 29.9% across July and August, and domestic cement dispatches 8.0%, while cement exports fell 16.7%. Recovery differs by sector and by export exposure, so screen businesses individually.

New industrial CO2 capture module out for consultation

Draft module

The proposed module covers capture from cement, steel, hydrogen, fertiliser, industrial heat and bioenergy, while existing modules stay active. It is a consultation draft, not an approved methodology, and the expert-review request closed on 5 October.

Higher microenterprise and housing loan limits proposed

Draft consultation

SECP proposes a PKR 5 million ceiling for microenterprise and housing finance from non-banking microfinance companies, with changes to borrower income thresholds and SME turnover classifications. These are proposals: eligibility changes apply only once final rules issue.

Carbon capture and storage methodology gains CCP approval

VM0049 v1.0 and its modules were approved under the Core Carbon Principles assessment, covering direct air capture, transport, storage and bioenergy with carbon capture. Methodology approval is not project approval, a purchase commitment or a price premium.

EU rules on environmental claims now apply

Directive (EU) 2024/825 applies from 27 September, strengthening consumer protection against greenwashing and changing what must be said about durability and guarantees. Anyone selling to EU consumers should check the evidence behind their environmental claims.

FBR establishes a National Faceless Centre

Rollout ongoing

Case selection becomes automated and risk-based, audit, assessment and quality review are separated, and notices, replies and hearings move into IRIS. Documentation, reconciliations and control of electronic correspondence matter more. Not every case has moved to the new workflow yet.