CV
Curriculum vitae
Profile
Economics graduate (CGPA 3.68/4.00; Best Diploma Thesis Award, 2026) with hands-on experience in economic and financial research, data analysis and policy writing. Interned at the State Bank of Pakistan and the Aga Khan Development Network, and worked as a university research assistant. Author of two SSRN working papers. Co-founded and ran a digital-services business for five years.
Education
| 2022 – 2026 | BA Global EconomicsUniversity of Central Asia, Khorog. CGPA 3.68/4.00, final-semester GPA 3.93. Thesis: Climate Change Shocks and Credit Risk in Pakistan: A Satellite-Enhanced ARDL Approach (Grade A). |
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| 2017 – 2021 | Secondary and Higher Secondary School CertificateAga Khan Higher Secondary School, Gilgit. |
Experience
| Jun – Aug 2025 | Intern, Financial Stability DepartmentState Bank of Pakistan. Built R-based credit-risk stress tests (three high-carbon industries most exposed); tracked 12 systemic-risk indicators; wrote a comparative policy memo (EU, Singapore, UAE, US). |
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| Oct – Dec 2025 | Research AssistantUniversity of Central Asia. 1,000+ record database; Python extraction from 500+ PDF pages; exploratory analysis that identified three significant trends. |
| Feb – Aug 2024 | Climate Resilience InternAga Khan Development Network. Five datasets cleaned and merged into risk scores for six countries; three Power BI dashboards used by 10+ programme teams; briefings to senior programme officers. |
| Oct 2020 – 2025 | Co-FounderZconnect Technologies (Pvt.) Ltd. Client accounts, pricing, invoicing and budgeting. |
| May – Aug 2022 | Trainer and Program DesignerZconnect Digital Literacy Initiative. Three-month programme for 50+ students. |
Publications
- Ali, Z. (2025). Volatility Effects of Fake News on Global Stock Markets: Evidence from Event Studies. SSRN Working Paper.
- Ali, Z. (2025). Anatomy of the Oct 10–11, 2025 Crypto Liquidation Cascade: Macroeconomic Triggers, Market Microstructure, and Systemic Risk Lessons. SSRN Working Paper.
- Ali, Z. (2026). Climate Change Shocks and Credit Risk in Pakistan. BA thesis, University of Central Asia.
Skills
- Analysis
- Excel (formulas, lookups, pivot tables), Python (pandas, NumPy), R (tidyverse, ggplot2), Power BI
- Economics
- Financial-market analysis, credit and risk assessment, macroeconomic data, time-series and panel econometrics
- Certificate
- Financial Analysis Using Excel, International Centre for Asset Recovery, Basel Institute on Governance (2025)
- Languages
- English (fluent), Urdu (fluent), Shina (native)