Payoneer, a global financial technology company, brought together more than 40 Pakistani marketing agencies in Lahore on Monday to discuss opportunities in international markets as the country's advertising and market research services exports continued to grow. Pakistan's exports of advertising and market research services increased 19 per cent year-on-year to $30.7 million in the first quarter of FY2026-27, compared with $25.8 million in the same period last year, according to State Bank of Pakistan data.
The event, Payoneer Connect Lahore, was held under the theme 'The Export Era of Global Marketing' and brought together agency leaders and representatives of the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), Google and the artificial intelligence industry to discuss ways of securing overseas clients and expanding cross-border operations.
Discussions focused on how artificial intelligence is changing the global marketing industry and creating opportunities for Pakistani agencies to move beyond traditional freelancing and outsourcing towards higher-value services and technology-based products. During a session on agentic AI, Ali Imran Memon, founder and chief executive of Kitsune AI, discussed how agencies could use their expertise to develop AI agents and products rather than relying solely on billing clients for working hours.
The discussion also examined pricing models based on subscriptions, individual tasks and business outcomes. Google's Customer Solutions team discussed the use of AI-based localisation tools to help Pakistani businesses reach international customers and reduce the costs of entering new markets.
P@SHA Vice Chairman Samad Saleem outlined the association's policy and advocacy efforts to support the expansion of Pakistan's digital services exports. The government is targeting $15 billion in IT exports by 2030, aiming to position the country as a major regional hub for digital technology and tech-driven creative services.
Industry leaders at the conference agreed that continuous upskilling, adaptation of modern technological tools and strategic international collaborations will be crucial for sustaining this growth momentum in the coming years.