Tagged: SBP

May 19, 2023 @ 8:27 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Pakistan will reportedly attempt to ban cryptocurrency-related transactions and services. This is not anything new because the country has made similar announcements as far back as 2018 and even earlier. Pakistan‘s Minister of State for Finance and Revenue Aisha Ghaus Pasha recently stated that the… Read More

December 27, 2022 @ 1:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the nation’s central bank, has reportedly granted approval to the test launch of the country’s very first agriculture-focused Fintech platform, Digitt+ (providing an Electronic Money Institution or EMI permit). Digitt+ is supported by Akhtar Fuiou Technologies (AFT), the firm… Read More

May 21, 2022 @ 7:57 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

YAP, a Fintech streamlining the virtual banking experience in the MENA and South Asia region, has announced that it has been granted an In-Principle Approval (IPA) from the State Bank of Pakistan for an Electronic Money Institute (EMI) License. The approval provides “a tremendous opportunity… Read More

September 14, 2021 @ 10:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) in Pakistan has added contactless biometric verification services for the nation’s banking and payments sector, making the Asian nation one of the first in the world to introduce the tech on a State-wide level. As first reported by… Read More

August 9, 2021 @ 10:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Pakistan Software Houses Association had recommended to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) that IT firms should be permitted to use 20% of their export earnings to pay for foreign consultants, digital service providers, vendors (among other requirements) in order to conduct operations and… Read More

April 19, 2021 @ 9:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Pakistan is reportedly planning to carry out studies in order to potentially launch a State-backed virtual currency so that it can enhance its existing banking system, enable greater financial inclusion, and also ensure that illicit activtiies such as money laundering are not being carried out… Read More

March 28, 2021 @ 8:25 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the nation’s central bank, announced on Friday (March 26, 2021) that it has started working on a separate set of guidelines for virtual banks which will focus on “regional regulatory trends,” according to a report from local sources. As… Read More

March 24, 2021 @ 11:47 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Supported by an upcoming generation of talented tech professionals, the Fintech industry is evolving rapidly in Pakistan. Fintechs could begin to make major contributions to the Asian country’s nearly $400 billion GDP. Professionals leading the country’s finance ministry and its reserve bank (the State Bank… Read More

March 14, 2021 @ 9:53 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the nation’s central bank, stated on Wednesday (March 11, 2021) that all local banking institutions should offer a set of minimum services for Internet banking and mobile banking. The SBP says it wants to encourage or promote the use… Read More

February 14, 2021 @ 6:38 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Karachi-based Fintech firm Safepay has reportedly acquired seed funding from global financial technology company Stripe. Safepay hasn’t disclosed the amount it has received but claims that it’s a seven-figure (USD) amount. Other local and international investors also took part in the Pakistani Fintech firm’s investment… Read More

February 11, 2021 @ 9:40 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Arshad Mehmood Bhatti, Director, Exchange Policy Department at the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the nation’s central bank, has noted that the SBP has updated its Foreign Exchange Manual in order to facilitate local startups and Fintech firms in the country. The manual was also… Read More

September 22, 2020 @ 6:36 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Payments technology giant MasterCard has teamed up with Pakistan-based Silk bank to expand credit card issuance options in the country. This could help increase the purchasing power of local residents and promote digital payment adoption as well. Through the partnership, Silk Bank customers in Pakistan… Read More

July 19, 2020 @ 7:27 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Japan Communications Inc., a company that engages in the provision of wireless data communication services via in-house software solutions, has partnered with Pakistan‘s Saffran Group, a multinational technology development company. Through the partnership, the companies will invest in financial technology projects in Pakistan via the… Read More

June 7, 2020 @ 10:05 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the nation’s central bank, recently revealed that it’s looking into whether it should provide digital bank accounts to Pakistanis residing abroad. Reza Baqir, the reserve bank’s governor, noted that overseas Pakistanis won’t have to be physically in the country… Read More

April 28, 2020 @ 11:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

SadaPay, an Islamabad-based Fintech firm, has reportedly been given in-principle approval by the State Bank of Pakistan, or SBP (the nation’s central bank). for an electronic money institution (EMI) license. SadaPay confirmed that the approval will allow it to provide certain financial services through its… Read More