NUST Graduate Wins 2nd Position in World Psychiatric

In an outstanding achievement for NUST, Ms Khadija Sultan, a recent graduate of S3H in MS Clinical Psychology and C3A officer, secured 2nd position in the World Psychiatric Association’s Thematic Conference. The conference, held in Karachi, Pakistan from 3-5th March 2023, saw the participation of approximately 2000 renowned psychiatrists, psychologists, and medical specialists from 39 countries.

Ms Sultan presented her research on proximal and distal risk factors for suicide rates in Gilgit Baltistan (GB), conducted under the guidance of Dr Salma Siddiqui, Dean S3H. Her research drew the attention of the audience, and she was awarded the prestigious ‘WPA Fellowship award’ along with an additional cash prize. Ms Sultan was also accredited with 26 credit points for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in her field by the World Psychiatric Association.

The NUST community congratulates Ms. Sultan on her outstanding achievement. His hard work and dedication has paid off, and his success is a testament to the quality of education and research at NUST. The College of Social Sciences and Humanities and the Center for Career Guidance and Counseling (C3A) particularly thank Vice Chancellor (Academic) Dr. Osman Hasan for facilitating the whole process with his proactive and supportive approach.

This success story inspires current and future NUST students. We wish Ms. Sultan every success in her future endeavors.

High Street lender HSBC has acquired Silicon Valley Bank UK for £1 in an 11-hour deal that will protect the deposits of thousands of start-ups across the UK.

The Government said the deal was facilitated by the Bank of England in consultation with the Treasury. There are no taxpayers’ money involved, said the finance minister.

HSBC’s takeover of Silicon Valley Bank UK comes after the government held a weekend of crisis talks to halt the collapse of startups across the country. California-based Silicon Valley Bank collapsed on Friday in the biggest bankruptcy since 2008 after it failed to make payments.The UK subsidiary, which is believed to be used by more than 3,000 startups, faced bankruptcy on Monday without a buyer or government intervention.

Noel Quinn, CEO of HSBC Group, said: “This acquisition makes a lot of strategic sense for our UK business. Strengthen our commercial banking business and enhance our ability to serve innovative, high-growth businesses, including in technology and life sciences, in the UK and internationally. London-based HSBC

said in a statement that SVB UK had around £5.5 billion in loans and around £6 in deposits.7 billion as of March 10th. SVB UK’s “tangible assets” are expected to be around £1.4 billion, HSBC added.

Quinn added that SVB UK customers “can continue with their normal banking experience”.

The Bank of England has confirmed that “all SVB UK depositors’ money is safe in this transaction”.He added that customers at SVB UK should continue to work as usual and that SVB UK staff are still employed by SVB UK.

Lifeline of the technology sector
“The UK technology sector is truly a world leader and is hugely important to the UK economy, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs,” said Chancellor Jeremy Hunt. “I said yesterday that we will take care of our technology sector and have worked hard to deliver on that promise and find a solution that gives confidence to SVB UK customers.”
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startups faced a liquidity crisis on Monday , after many were unable to access some or all of their funds from Silicon Valley Bank UK. Bosses feared they might not be able to prepare payslips or pay bills.An open letter signed by over 200 startups called it an “existential threat to the UK tech sector”.

Dom Hallas, executive director of the Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec), which has led the tech industry’s response, said the government’s actions have “saved hundreds of most of the UK’s innovations”.

Several banks held talks over the weekend to take over SVB UK, including Lloyds, Barclays and OakNorth. The Bank of London, a clearing bank founded two years ago, officially unveiled the offer on Sunday evening. In a statement, Bank of London said it was “great news that a quick fix has been found for Silicon Valley Bank UK,” but added that “for many, this is seen as a missed opportunity to encourage competition and innovation.” to promote”.
APEXX Global, a startup offering retailers alternative payment options, has raised US$25 million (£20.00).8 million) in Series B funding round.

APEXX is a one-stop shop for merchants looking to integrate alternative payment options into their services. The company connects merchants to a variety of payment options, including Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) products, by allowing them to add different payment types at checkout.

“From day one, we have been focused on our mission to build the world’s leading payment orchestration platform and provide clear benefits to merchants,” said Peter Keenan, co-founder and CEO of APEXX Global.

“We have seen strong growth in international markets which has resulted in significant cost savings and transaction conversion benefits.We look forward to using these funds to further strengthen our position in shaping the future of global payments.

Armed with fresh capital, the London-based company is looking to expand its reach into North America via its New York office. APEXX will try to expand its offer to include other payment methods.

The Series B round came from existing investor MMC Ventures along with Alliance Ventures and Forward Partners.

“APEXX has reached a milestone demonstrating its ability to acquire and grow large corporate accounts such as CarTrawler, Ryanair, AVON Cosmetics and XE.Com,” said Alan Morgan, President and Co-Founder of MMC Ventures.

“We have seen good momentum in client growth and are pleased to continue to support Peter and his talented team as they work with merchants to rethink payments and raise funds save .”
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The company previously raised $8 million (£6.6 million) for a Series A round in June 2020.
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The Treasury said it was looking at ways to “repair the damage to the start-up ecosystem in the UK after the Bank of England decided to bankrupt the UK branch of a California bank on Friday night.

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) is the biggest since the 2008 financial crisis.

‘s run on a specialist lender sent shockwaves across the Atlantic. The collapse of a UK branch sparked extraordinary talks between the Prime Minister, Chancellor and Bank of England governor over the weekend.

The Treasury said the government sees this as a “high priority”. He added that “the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank UK could have a significant impact on the liquidity of the tech ecosystem.”