Business
Pakistani Freelancers Rejoice: Receiving PayPal Payments Now a Reality!
ISLAMABAD, January 7, 2024: In a major boost for Pakistan’s thriving freelance industry, IT Minister Umar Saif announced today that Pakistani freelancers can now receive payments through the global online platform PayPal. This marks a significant development, removing a longstanding hurdle for countless talented individuals contributing to the country’s digital economy.
Previously, Pakistani freelancers faced limitations due to PayPal’s unavailability in the country. This meant relying on alternative, often less convenient, methods for receiving international payments, hindering their ability to compete globally. However, the new initiative, spearheaded by the government, removes this barrier, opening doors to wider opportunities and increasing earnings for Pakistani freelancers.

“The good news is that Pakistani freelancers will now be able to receive money through PayPal,” declared Minister Saif in a video message shared by the IT ministry. “And we have created this program so that you don’t have to open a PayPal account in Pakistan to receive payments.” This crucial aspect of the program addresses concerns about regulatory restrictions and simplifies the process for both freelancers and their clients.
Under the new system, international clients can seamlessly transfer funds to Pakistani freelancers through their existing PayPal accounts. The funds will then be directed to a designated partner platform accessible to the freelancer in Pakistan. This streamlined approach ensures secure and efficient transactions without the need for individual PayPal accounts within the country.
The news has been met with immense enthusiasm from the Pakistani freelance community. Many have hailed it as a game-changer, promising to unlock greater access to international projects and enhance their earning potential. This development is expected to further spur Pakistan’s thriving freelance sector, contributing to economic growth and job creation.
However, some questions remain concerning the specifics of the designated partner platform and the associated fees or limitations. The IT ministry has assured further details will be shared soon, providing clarity for freelancers eager to leverage this groundbreaking opportunity.
Overall, the removal of the PayPal barrier represents a significant victory for Pakistani freelancers. With access to this widely used platform, they can now confidently compete on the global stage, showcasing their talent and contributing to the nation’s digital future.
This news is undoubtedly cause for celebration, marking a major leap forward for Pakistan’s burgeoning freelance community. As more details emerge and the program begins operation, it will be exciting to witness its positive impact on the lives and careers of countless Pakistani freelancers.
Startups
🌐 The Global Blockchain Show 2025 Is Coming to Abu Dhabi – December 10–11, 2025
The blockchain world is converging in Abu Dhabi this December for one of the most anticipated Web3 events of the year: the Global Blockchain Show 2025, taking place December 10–11, 2025. With over 7,000+ attendees, 250+ global speakers, and 350+ pioneering companies, this summit promises to be a powerhouse of innovation, networking, and strategic insight globalblockchainshow.com Cointelegraph.
🚀 A Premier Web3 & Crypto Conference
Organized by VAP Group and powered by Times of Blockchain, the Global Blockchain Show is more than just a conference—it’s a launchpad for the future of decentralized technology. Held at a world-class venue in Abu Dhabi, the event will spotlight the UAE’s bold leap into blockchain adoption across government, enterprise, and finance Cointelegraph.
🔍 What to Expect
1. Global Thought Leadership
Hear from 250+ blockchain pioneers, founders, and policy shapers driving the next wave of innovation. Topics will span:
- Web3 infrastructure
- Tokenization and DeFi
- Blockchain regulation and compliance
- Enterprise integration and smart contracts
2. Elite Networking
Rub shoulders with:
- Top-tier investors
- Tech giants
- Startups and developers
- Government officials and regulators
This is your chance to forge partnerships that could shape the next decade of blockchain evolution.
3. Immersive Exhibitions
Explore cutting-edge solutions from 350+ companies showcasing the latest in crypto, NFTs, metaverse, and enterprise blockchain applications.
🌍 Why Abu Dhabi?
Abu Dhabi is rapidly emerging as a global blockchain hub, with progressive regulation, strong institutional support, and a thriving tech ecosystem. The city’s commitment to digital transformation makes it the perfect host for a summit of this scale and ambition.
🎯 Who Should Attend?
This event is ideal for:
- Blockchain founders and developers
- Crypto investors and analysts
- Web3 startups and entrepreneurs
- Government and enterprise leaders
- Legal and compliance professionals
Whether you’re building the next unicorn or shaping policy, the Global Blockchain Show offers unparalleled access to insights, capital, and community.
📅 Save the Date
Global Blockchain Show 2025
🗓️ Dates: December 10–11, 2025
📍 Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Ready to be part of the future?
Visit the official website to register, explore the agenda, and secure your spot among the world’s top blockchain minds globalblockchainshow.com.
Events
🌍 World School Summit 2026 – Malaysia
34th Edition | 24th January, 2026
Introduction
Education is evolving faster than ever, and the leaders shaping tomorrow’s schools must stay ahead of global trends. The World School Summit, now in its 34th edition, is set to take place in Malaysia on 24th January, 2026. This prestigious gathering will unite the world’s top educators, school owners, principals, directors, and institutional leaders for a transformative day of learning, networking, and collaboration.
Why the World School Summit Matters
The summit is more than just an event—it’s a global platform for innovation in education. With participants from across continents, the summit fosters dialogue on the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing schools today.
Key highlights include:
- 🌐 Global Networking: Connect with principals, directors, and school owners from diverse regions.
- 💡 Thought Leadership: Hear from pioneering educators and experts on the future of learning.
- 📈 Strategic Insights: Explore new models of school management, leadership, and institutional growth.
- 🤝 Collaborative Opportunities: Build partnerships that extend beyond borders.
Who Should Attend
The World School Summit is designed for:
- Principals and School Leaders
- Directors and School Owners
- Educators and Teachers
- School Management Professionals
- Education Institutes and Policy Makers
Whether you’re leading a single institution or shaping national education policy, this summit offers actionable strategies and global perspectives to elevate your impact.

Malaysia: The Perfect Host
Malaysia, with its rich cultural diversity and growing reputation as a hub for international education, provides the ideal backdrop for this global summit. Attendees will not only gain professional insights but also experience the country’s vibrant culture and hospitality.
Looking Ahead
As the 34th edition of the World School Summit, this event builds on decades of success, continually adapting to the changing landscape of education. The 2026 summit promises to be one of the most impactful yet, setting the tone for the future of schools worldwide.
Call to Action
🎓 Join us in Malaysia on 24th January, 2026, and be part of the movement shaping the future of education.
👉 Reserve your seat today and secure your place among the world’s top educators.
Business
5 Disruptive AI Startups That Prove the LLM Race is Already Dead
The trillion-dollar LLM race is over. The true disruption will be Agentic AI—autonomous, goal-driven systems—a trend set to dominate TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.
When OpenAI’s massive multimodal models were released in the early 2020s, the entire tech world reset. It felt like a gold rush, where the only currency that mattered was GPU access, trillions of tokens, and a parameter count with enough zeroes to humble a Fortune 500 CFO. For years, the narrative has been monolithic: bigger models, better results. The global market for Large Language Models (LLMs) and LLM-powered tools is projected to be worth billions, with worldwide spending on generative AI technologies forecast to hit $644 billion in 2025 alone.
This single-minded pursuit has created a natural monopoly of scale, dominated by the five leading vendors who collectively capture over 88% of the global market revenue. But I’m here to tell you, as an investor on the ground floor of the next wave, that the era of the monolithic LLM is over. It has peaked. The next great platform shift is already here, and it will be confirmed, amplified, and debated on the hallowed stage of TechCrunch Disrupt 2025.
The future of intelligence is not about the model’s size; it’s about its autonomy. The next billion-dollar companies won’t be those building the biggest brains, but those engineering the most competent AI Agents.
🛑 The Unspoken Truth of the Current LLM Market
The current obsession with ever-larger LLMs—models with hundreds of billions or even trillions of parameters—has led to an industrial-scale, yet fragile, ecosystem. While adoption is surging, with 67% of organisations worldwide reportedly using LLMs in some capacity in 2025, the limitations are becoming a structural constraint on true enterprise transformation.
We are seeing a paradox of power: models are capable of generating fluent prose, perfect code snippets, and dazzling synthetic media, yet they fail at the most basic tenets of real-world problem-solving. This is the difference between a hyper-literate savant and a true executive.
Here is the diagnosis, informed by the latest ai news and deep-drives:
- The Cost Cliff is Untenable: Training a state-of-the-art frontier model still requires a multi-billion-dollar fixed investment. For smaller firms, the barrier is staggering; approximately 37% of SMEs are reportedly unable to afford full-scale LLM deployment. Furthermore, the operational (inference) costs, while dramatically lower than before, remain a significant drag on gross margins for any scaled application.
- The Reliability Crisis: A significant portion of users, specifically 35% of LLM users in one survey, identify “reliability and inaccurate output” as their primary concerns. This is the well-known “hallucination problem.” When an LLM optimizes for the most probable next word, it does not optimise for the most successful outcome. This fundamentally limits its utility in high-stakes fields like finance, healthcare, and engineering.
- The Prompt Ceiling: LLMs are intrinsically reactive. They are stunningly sophisticated calculators that require a human to input a clear, perfect equation to get a useful answer. They cannot set their own goals, adapt to failure, or execute a multi-step project without continuous, micro-managed human prompting. This dependence on the prompt limits their scalability in true automation.
We have reached the point of diminishing returns. The incremental performance gain of going from 1.5 trillion parameters to 2.5 trillion parameters is not worth the 27% increase in data center emissions and the billions in training costs. The game is shifting.
🔮 The TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 Crystal Ball: The Agentic Pivot
My definitive prediction for TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 is this: The main stage will not be dominated by the unveiling of a new, larger foundation model. It will be dominated by startups focused entirely on Agentic AI.
What is Agentic AI?
Agentic AI systems don’t just generate text; they act. They are LLMs augmented with a planning module, an execution engine (tool use), persistent memory, and a self-correction loop. They optimise for a long-term goal, not just the next token. They are not merely sophisticated chatbots; they are autonomous problem-solvers. This is the difference between a highly-trained analyst who writes a report and a CEO who executes a multi-quarter strategy.
Here are three fictional, yet highly plausible, startup concepts poised to launch this narrative at TechCrunch Disrupt’s Startup Battlefield:
1. Stratagem
- The Pitch: “We are the first fully autonomous, goal-seeking sales development agent (SDA) for B2B SaaS.”
- The Agentic Hook: Stratagem doesn’t just write cold emails. A human simply inputs the goal: “Close five $50k+ contracts in the FinTech vertical this quarter.” The Agentic AI then autonomously:
- Reasons: Breaks the goal into steps (Targeting $\rightarrow$ Outreach $\rightarrow$ Qualification $\rightarrow$ Hand-off).
- Acts: Scrapes real-time financial data to identify companies with specific growth signals (a tool-use capability).
- Self-Corrects: Sends initial emails, tracks engagement, automatically revises its messaging vector (tone, length, value prop) for non-responders, and books a qualified meeting directly into the human sales rep’s calendar.
- The LLM is now a component, not the core product.
2. Phage Labs
- The Pitch: “We have decoupled molecular synthesis from human-led R&D, leveraging multi-agent systems to discover novel materials.”
- The Agentic Hook: This startup brings the “Agent Swarm” model to material science. A scientist inputs the desired material properties (e.g., “A polymer with a tensile strength 15% higher than Kevlar and 50% lighter”). A swarm of specialised AI Agents then coordinates:
- The Generator Agent proposes millions of novel molecular structures.
- The Simulator Agent runs millions of physics-based tests concurrently in a cloud environment.
- The Refiner Agent identifies the 100 most promising candidates, and most crucially, writes the robotics instructions to synthesise and test the top five in a wet lab.
- The system operates 24/7, with zero human intervention until a successful material is confirmed.
3. The Data-Moat Architectures (DMA)
- The Pitch: “We eliminate the infrastructure cost of LLMs by orchestrating open-source models with proprietary data moats.”
- The Agentic Hook: This addresses the cost problem head-on. The core technology is an intelligent Orchestrator Agent. Instead of relying on a single, expensive, trillion-parameter model, the Orchestrator intelligently routes complex queries to a highly efficient network of smaller, specialized, open-source models (e.g., one for code, one for summarization, one for RAG queries). This dramatically reduces latency and inference costs while achieving a higher reliability score than any single black-box LLM. By routing a question to the most appropriate, fine-tuned, and low-cost model, they are fundamentally destroying the Big Tech LLM moat.
🏆 Why TechCrunch is the Bellwether
The shift from the LLM race to Agentic AI is a classic platform disruption—and a debut at Tech Crunch is still the unparalleled launchpad. Why? Because the conference isn’t just about technology; it’s about market validation.
History is our guide. Companies that launched at TechCrunch Disrupt didn’t just have clever tech; they had a credible narrative for how they would fundamentally change human behaviour, capture mindshare, and dominate a market. The intensity of the Startup Battlefield 200, where over 200 hand-selected, early-stage entrepreneurs compete, forces founders to distil their vision into a five-minute pitch that is laser-focused on value.
This focus is the very thing that the venture capital community is desperate for right now. Investors are no longer underwriting the risk of building a foundational LLM—that race is lost to a handful of giants. They are now hunting for the applications that will generate massive ROI on top of that infrastructure. When a respected publication like techcrunch.com reports on a debut, it signals to the world’s most influential VCs—who are all in attendance—that this isn’t science fiction; it’s a Series A waiting to happen.
The successful TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 startup will not have a “better model.” It will have a better system—a goal-driven Agent that can execute, self-correct, and deliver measurable business outcomes without constant human hand-holding. This is the transition from AI as a fancy word processor to AI as a hyper-competent, autonomous employee.
Conclusion: The Era of Doing
For years, the LLM kings have commanded us with the promise of intelligence. We’ve been wowed by their ability to write sonnets, simulate conversations, and generate images. But a truly disruptive technology doesn’t just talk about solving a problem; it solves it.
The Agentic AI revolution marks the transition from the Era of Talking to the Era of Doing.
The biggest LLM is now just a powerful but inert, brain—a resource to be leveraged. The true innovation is in the nervous system, the memory, and the self-correction loop that transforms that raw intelligence into measurable, scalable, and autonomous value.
Will this new era, defined by goal-driven, Agentic AI, be the one that finally breaks the LLM monopoly and truly disrupts Silicon Valley? Let us know your thoughts below.
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