Category: 3. Business

YouTube has announced a new update to its monetisation policy under the YouTube Partner Programme (YPP), set to take effect from 15 July 2025. The update has sparked concern among content creators, especially those producing reaction videos, compilations and AI-assisted content. However, the platform has clarified that the changes are not sweeping overhauls, but refinements aimed at more effectively identifying and restricting inauthentic or mass-produced content.

Focus on inauthentic content

The primary change involves an update to YouTube’s long-standing “repetitious content” policy, which will now be renamed “inauthentic content”.

This change is intended to better reflect the nature of problematic content that YouTube seeks to exclude from monetisation, namely, material that is repetitive, mass-produced or lacking in originality.

YouTube clarified that this is a minor update, not a fundamental change in policy. Renee Richie, creator liaison at YouTube, addressed the concerns in a recent explainer video, stating:

“If you’re seeing posts about a July 2025 update to the YouTube Partner Program monetisation policies and you’re concerned it’ll affect your reaction or clips or other type of channel. This is a minor update to YouTube’s long-standing YPP policies to help better identify when content is mass-produced or repetitive.”

What content is affected?

YouTube’s updated guidelines are focused on detecting mass-produced or AI-generated content that adds little or no original value. The platform made it clear that content already in violation of existing monetisation rules such as bulk-uploaded, formulaic videos, will now be identified and addressed more efficiently under the revised policy.

Richie further explained, “The type of content targeted by the update is the mass-produced, repetitive material that is already ineligible for monetisation under the company’s YouTube Partner Program (YPP).”

This includes content that is heavily reliant on existing clips, automated text-to-speech narration, or AI-generated visuals, especially if those elements are not significantly transformed or contextualised by the creator.

For example, tutorials and vlogs that reuse large amounts of pre-existing footage without meaningful narration or commentary may be at risk of demonetisation.

Reaction videos and compilations still eligible

Following backlash and confusion among creators, YouTube was quick to reassure that not all reused content will be disqualified. Channels producing reaction videos, compilations, or commentary-based material can still qualify for monetisation, provided they offer genuine, original contributions to the reused footage.

This means that while reused content is not banned outright, creators must ensure they are adding value, such as through original insights, analysis, or creative editing.

AI-generated content under scrutiny

A significant implication of the update is the increased scrutiny of AI-generated content. Channels that rely heavily on AI tools to produce videos with minimal human input may find themselves ineligible for monetisation. YouTube is focusing on improving its ability to detect such content, especially when it lacks original commentary or context.

No change to reused content policy

YouTube has confirmed that there are no changes to its “reused content” policy, which continues to allow for the monetisation of clips, commentary, compilations and reaction videos, so long as creators add original and meaningful value. The revised guidelines are meant to clarify, not replace, existing standards.

Core eligibility requirements remain unchanged

Despite the policy clarification, YouTube’s core thresholds for monetisation under the YPP remain the same. To qualify, a channel must have at least 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 valid public watch hours over the past 12 months or 10 million valid Shorts views within the past 90 days.

This ensures that creators meet a baseline level of engagement before earning ad revenue.

What creators should do

For content creators aiming to join or stay within the YouTube Partner Programme, the guidance remains consistent: focus on producing original, authentic content. Reaction videos, educational commentaries, and creative compilations can remain monetisable if they involve thoughtful curation, analysis, or transformation of source material.

Channels should avoid uploading content that appears automated, repetitive or low-effort, especially if it lacks any clear personal input. This includes content created entirely using AI or other automated tools without human editing or commentary.

LAHORE – The buying rate of Canadian has strengthened against Pakistani rupee in open market where it stood at Rs210 on Saturday.

The private exchange companies are selling the Canadian Dollar for Rs215 reflecting its dominance over the local currency.

The local currency rates reflect ongoing trend in the forex market influenced by regional demand, remittance inflows, and overall economic sentiments.

How much is $1000 CAD in PKR?

As of July 10, they buying rate of the Canadian dollar stands at Rs210. It means an individual can convert $1000 CAD for Rs210,000 in open market.

Remittances play a crucial role in supporting the economies of developing countries. They provide a stable source of income for millions of families, helping them meet basic needs such as food, healthcare, and education.

Pakistan recorded workers’ remittances inflow of $3.4 billion in June 2025.

According to the data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Wednesday, workers’ remittances increased by 7.9 per cent on a year-on-year basis.

During fiscal year 2024-25, workers’ remittances rose by 26.6 per cent to $38.3 billion as compared with $30.3 billion in 2023-24.

Remittances during June 2025 were mainly sourced from Saudi Arabia ($823.2 million), United Arab Emirates ($717.2 million), United Kingdom ($537.6 million) and United States of America ($281.2 million).

KARACHI – UAE Dirham (AED) has slightly lost its ground against Pakistani rupee in open market where 1 AED’s buying rate has decreased to Rs77.44 after shedding three paisa.

The selling rate of the Dirham also decreased and stood at Rs77.92, according to the Forex Association of Pakistan.

The UAE Dirham (AED) to Pakistani Rupee exchange rate holds great importance as millions of Pakistanis work in the UAE and send remittances every month.

AED to PKR Rate Today

Buying: Rs77.44

Selling: Rs77.92

Overseas Pakistanis residing in the UAE sent $717.2 million in wake of remittances in June 2025, grabbing second top position in the chart of the workers’ remittances as the first spot is held by Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan recorded workers’ remittances inflow of $3.4 billion in June 2025.

According to the data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Wednesday, workers’ remittances increased by 7.9 per cent on a year-on-year basis.

During fiscal year 2024-25, workers’ remittances rose by 26.6 per cent to $38.3 billion as compared with $30.3 billion in 2023-24.

Remittances during June 2025 were mainly sourced from Saudi Arabia ($823.2 million), United Arab Emirates ($717.2 million), United Kingdom ($537.6 million) and United States of America ($281.2 million).

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One of Japan’s largest producers of baby food is to close its business as inflation bites and births in its home market plunge to the lowest level since records began.

Kewpie, producer of the nation’s best-loved brand of mayonnaise, and whose famous logo resembles a chubby baby, will cease production of 72 items that have long delighted picky infant consumers, including sea bream rice porridge, pumpkin purée and banana pudding.

The move, which has triggered a petition from thousands of dismayed parents across the country, follows government data published this year that showed only 686,000 Japanese babies were born in 2024, the lowest number since records began 125 years ago.

The births figure also fell below the 700,000 level about 15 years ahead of when median estimates suggested Japan would reach that point. An increasing number of experts believe Japan should adopt more pessimistic forecasts, which predict annual births will drop below half a million in 2050.

Japan’s third-largest baby food producer cited a “slump” in sales volume as the reason behind its action. It also blamed rising costs due to soaring raw material and energy prices, as a new era of inflation continues to rattle the country after a three-decade hiatus from rising prices.

The biggest reason for falling sales, according to the company, was consumers’ inability to stomach price rises in 2022 and 2024. The declining number of babies in Japan was also an indirect factor behind the exit from the business after 65 years, it said.

Baby food sales at Kewpie dropped to ¥3.85bn ($26.2mn) in the 2024 fiscal year and now represent less than 1 per cent of sales.

“If the market is not growing, then they don’t have the ability to raise their prices when costs are growing. It is related to demographics,” said Mike Allen, director of independent research group Azabu Research.

“Babies are the fastest declining part of the market, so there’s not too much hope unless there’s some new niche within that market.”

The company’s range of children’s foods has been commended by parents for requiring minimal preparation compared with rival products, saving them time.

“If I had to make baby food from scratch, then there’s absolutely no way I could manage working full-time, so please, don’t let it disappear,” said one mother on social media site X.

The Tokyo-based group has experimented with new forms of packaging, extending the expiry date and more microwaveable products. Pivoting to overseas markets, as many other Japanese companies have done, was deemed difficult due to legislative hurdles to exporting baby food.

Founded in 1919, originally as a manufacturer of sauces and canned goods, Kewpie took its name from a brand of baby cupid dolls popular in the 1920s.

The company’s shares are at an all-time high as the group expands production and sales in the US market, where Asian food is growing in popularity. It has expanded margins through price increases and is focusing on more profitable divisions, as it concentrates on shareholder returns.

Meanwhile, Kewpie’s rivals have reported a tailwind to the baby food market from another demographic development in Japan’s economy.

As the government encourages record numbers of women to work and their free time to prepare baby food has disappeared, the market has grown 20 per cent in value since 2016, according to Asahi Group Foods, the market leader.

The female labour participation rate hit a record 53.6 per cent in 2023, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

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It is time for me to eat some humble pie. Just the one slice, mind you. This also involves a doff of the cap to Graham from Portadown.

I don’t know Graham personally, but our paths crossed during the ugliest days of the global markets shake-out in early April, when US stocks plunged in response to Donald Trump’s supercharged global trade tariffs.

BBC Radio Ulster kindly asked me on air to explain to the masses what was going on. First question: “So Katie, what is a stock market?” (For the record, I unironically love that. There’s genuinely no such thing as a silly question in financial markets.)

Anyway, Graham called in to share his view, which, to paraphrase, was that he didn’t know in any kind of detail how the tariffs would pan out, but he did know that whenever there’s a dip in the US stock market, you should buy it, and he was doing precisely that. If I remember rightly, this was at lunch time in London on April 9. US stocks were down 13 per cent in just a few days at this point and global markets were bleeding out.

Now, I didn’t tell Graham he was wrong. But I did say, while stressing that I was not giving investment advice and never would, that he was braver than I am. Buying the dip is, indeed, a tried and tested tactic with a good record of success but, at that point, let’s just euphemistically say things were not looking great.

We all know what happened hours later. Trump backtracked, stocks exploded higher. If Graham from Portadown was true to his word, and he really did pluck up the courage to buy (he sounded very determined), then he’s up by about 25 per cent on those US stocks since our brief chat. Kudos, Graham.

Even after that point, I didn’t see that the coast was clear, writing a few days later that the case for the buying the dip was just too shaky for me. Hindsight is the most wonderful thing, especially in markets, but in retrospect, Trump really did chicken out, and that changed everything. US stocks, as measured by the S&P 500 blue-chip index, have sprung back to record highs and are up by around 7 per cent so far this year. 

“We have this divide,” said Vincenzo Vedda, chief investment officer at Germany’s DWS. “The experts are looking at this and saying ‘this is wrong’ and retail is saying ‘you experts have said for the last 10 years to buy the dip so we’re buying the dip’.”

In any case, they were right. So, one slice of humble pie is duly consumed. Delicious.

I’m not eating the rest of it yet, though. Since that April shake-out in markets, and indeed even before it, most big investment houses outside the US have been taking a fresh and critical look at their US exposure. This is the number-one topic of conversation among institutional investors right now, and it will take considerable time, possibly even years, for it fully to play out.

Each week, men in Florida with Hotmail addresses email to tell me I’m an idiot with, as one charming recent correspondent put it, a “stupid face”, for suggesting this phenomenon is real. No serious money manager, they say, will sell their US stocks and bonds.

But this remains a misreading of the situation. It is not that big investors are unlikely to sell US assets in meaningful volumes. The question is whether they will continue to buy them on the scale we have become accustomed to in a world where US stocks account for something like 70 per cent of developed-market indices. Maybe of every new pound that flows in to a stocks portion pension now, we won’t see 70p head to the US in five years’ time, but something more like 65p or even 60p.

That means a bigger chunk heads to Asia and to Europe — much smaller markets that many global investors have shunned for years. Little wonder, then, that many of them have comfortably outstripped the performance of US stocks in 2025. Several European indices are up by more than 20 per cent this year. Meanwhile, for euro-based investors, the steady drop in the dollar has eaten up any gains. They are still down by some 6.5 per cent on US stocks so far this year in euro terms.

Any big asset manager who is not thinking about how to avoid or at the very least hedge this pain is not doing their job properly, hence the global popularity of building defences against damage from a sliding dollar and the newfound introspection around whether already rather expensive US stocks are really worth the volatility or the political risk.

“We have to break free from the mindset we have had for the past 20 years,” said Talib Sheikh, a portfolio manager at Fidelity International. “Why can’t we have Asia ex-China ex-Japan being a greater part of your portfolio than the US? Why can’t we have Europe as a bigger part? Fads come and go but I think this has more staying power.”

Much of the market disruption from the opening months of 2025 has passed now that we are in the second half of the year, and Graham from Portadown is taking a well-earned victory lap. But the oldest certainties in finance are crumbling.

katie.martin@ft.com

KARACHI – Saudi Riyal (SAR) registered slight decline against Pakistani rupee in open market on Saturday as 1 SAR dropped to Rs75.84.

The selling rate of Saudi Riyal also plunged by two paisa and settled at Rs76.19, according to the Forex Association of Pakistan.

The exchange rate of Saudi Riyal is closely monitored by overseas Pakistanis who are employed in Saudi Arabia and send remittances every month.

1,000 Saudi Riyal to Pak Rupee Today

As the SAR buying rate stood at Rs75.84, 1,000 Saudi Riyals can be exchanged for Rs75,840 in open market.

Meanwhile, Pakistan recorded workers’ remittances inflow of $3.4 billion in June 2025, according to the data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Wednesday.

It showed workers’ remittances increased by 7.9 per cent on a year-on-year basis.

During fiscal year 2024-25, workers’ remittances rose by 26.6 per cent to $38.3 billion as compared with $30.3 billion in 2023-24.

During June 2025, Saudi Arabia led the chart as $823.2 million were sent in remittances by overseas Pakistanis from the Kingdom.

It is followed by United Arab Emirates with $717.2 million, United Kingdom with $537.6 million and United States of America with $281.2 million.

On the other hand, the price of 24 karat per tola gold increased by Rs2,300 to climb to Rs357,000 as compared to its sale at Rs354,700 on the last trading day.

The prices of 10 grams of 24 karat also surged by Rs1,971 to Rs306,069 from Rs304,098.