Covalent marked Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day with the dual milestone of launching its new AI-focused division, Skunkworks, and inaugurating its state-of-the-art facility, The Hub. The occasion brought together the entire Covalent team to celebrate the country’s independence while unveiling initiatives aimed at accelerating product innovation and enhancing workplace creativity. Skunkworks has been designed as a highly agile division within Covalent, specializing in delivering industry-first products within days or weeks. Leveraging AI as its core driver, the division has already signed agreements with several major enterprises and delivered advanced solutions that set new benchmarks in product development speed and capability.
Among its early innovations, Skunkworks introduced Ava, an omni-channel virtual assistant powered by generative AI. Ava comes equipped with built-in intent recognition, voice-in and voice-out capabilities, seamless API integration, on-the-go organizational learning, and advanced persona management. With banking-grade security at its foundation, Ava has already been adopted by one of Pakistan’s leading banks and a digital bank in the Middle East for internal use, with commercial launches scheduled in the coming days. Another key development from Skunkworks is Chequemate, an omni-channel digital cheque and signature verification suite powered by AI. Fully integrable with any bank’s core system, Chequemate enables straight-through processing of cheques from anywhere in the world, with capabilities including multi-signature verification, MICR reading, enhanced OCR, and advanced attribute checks. The solution is currently being integrated by one of Pakistan’s largest banks into its core and digital platforms. Chequemate has also earned industry recognition, securing both the APICTA – Asia Pacific ICT Award and the P@SHA ICT Award for its innovative approach and technology.
The inauguration of The Hub reflects Covalent’s commitment to fostering a creative and employee-friendly work environment. The facility has been designed to feel like a home for innovation, offering amenities such as fresh coffee, snacks, and indoor sports facilities. This environment aims to inspire employees to develop and deliver cutting-edge solutions with a strong focus on collaboration and creativity. The Hub serves as a space where Covalent’s most valuable asset—its employees—can work comfortably while driving impactful projects.
In addition to these advancements, Covalent has begun developing Pakistan’s first in-country Global Integrated Operations Centre. This center will serve existing customers in Pakistan, Iraq, and Africa, further expanding Covalent’s operational capabilities and service reach. The board and management expressed appreciation for the dedication, creativity, and forward-thinking approach demonstrated by the Covalent team, noting that these efforts position the company to continue delivering transformative technology solutions for clients across multiple regions.
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