Pakistan Payment Map
Pakistan Payment Guide
Pakistan’s payment landscape has several layers that should not be mixed together. Raast is the national instant-payment system for participating banks, wallets and payment providers. PayPak is Pakistan’s domestic card scheme, operated by 1LINK, with mono-badged cards intended for domestic use and co-badged variants able to use participating international networks. 1LINK also operates major domestic switching and retail-payment infrastructure. JazzCash and easypaisa add mobile-wallet and branchless-banking routes, while Visa, Mastercard and other eligible international card products can create separate merchant-payment paths. This guide separates those layers before comparing PKR payments, foreign merchants, transfers, authentication, fees, payment states, refunds and recovery.
Country Read
Start With Raast for Domestic Account Payments and the Exact Card or Wallet for Checkout
For domestic account-to-account or merchant payments, Raast is the first national rail to inspect when both sides participate. For card payments, identify whether the card is PayPak mono-badged, PayPak co-badged, Visa, Mastercard or another supported product. For wallet payments, identify the exact JazzCash, easypaisa or bank-wallet route and its limits. For foreign merchants, do not assume a domestic Raast or mono-badged PayPak route automatically travels abroad.
Rail Map
Which Pakistan Payment Layer Is Moving the Money?
The visible app or card brand is only the starting point. The actual route may be Raast, a bank or wallet transfer, 1LINK infrastructure, PayPak card processing, a global card network, a merchant gateway, or a regulated remittance provider.
| Payment Layer | Common Use | What Actually Controls It |
|---|---|---|
| Raast | Instant P2P and P2M payments through participating banks, wallets and providers | The participating institution, eligible account or wallet, IBAN or Raast ID, merchant integration or QR where used, PKR amount, authentication, limits, fraud controls and final transaction state. Raast is Pakistan’s national instant-payment system and is designed for interoperable retail payments. |
| 1LINK retail-payment infrastructure | Domestic account and card connectivity across participating institutions | The participating bank or provider, channel, account or card profile, transaction type, domestic switch rules, authentication and final transaction state. Infrastructure participation does not by itself guarantee a foreign merchant route. |
| PayPak mono-badged card | Domestic ATM, POS and supported Pakistan e-commerce | The issuing bank or financial institution, merchant acceptance, available balance, card controls, online use, authentication and final authorization. PayPak states its mono-badged Standard card is for domestic use only. |
| PayPak co-badged card | Domestic PayPak use plus international transactions through the co-badged network where eligible | The exact co-badge, issuer, merchant-network acceptance, online/international controls, currency, authentication, merchant category, limits, risk rules and authorization. A co-badge does not make every merchant or country eligible. |
| JazzCash | Wallet balance, money transfer, bill and merchant payments, cards and remittance-related services | The registered JazzCash account, profile level, wallet balance, transaction type, receiver, card where used, limits, fees, authentication and payment state. |
| easypaisa | Wallet and bank transfers, Raast transfers, bills, merchants and supported card or gateway payments | The registered account, Raast or bank route, receiver, account level, balance, transaction limit, fee schedule, authentication and final state. |
| Visa / Mastercard / other international card | Domestic or foreign merchant checkout where the exact card is accepted | The live merchant, exact Pakistan-issued card, issuer, network, international and online controls, currency, billing profile, authentication, transaction type, limits, risk checks and final authorization. |
| Regulated bank / transfer provider | International remittance, invoice or verified-recipient payment | The legal provider and recipient, sender and recipient country, identity checks, send and receive currencies, current fees and rate, funding method, recipient account or payout method, timing, transaction state and return or refund process. |
Home Ground
Raast, PayPak, Wallets, and Banks Solve Different Jobs
Pakistan’s domestic payment stack is increasingly interoperable, but each layer still has its own eligibility and recovery rules. Raast moves instant account-based payments through connected institutions. PayPak provides a domestic card scheme. JazzCash and easypaisa expose wallet and transfer experiences. Banks and card issuers decide whether a specific account or card can use a particular route.
Raast P2P
SBP states that customers of participating institutions can send and receive funds using IBANs and, where registered, a Raast ID linked to a mobile number. Record the sending institution, recipient identifier, amount, purpose, authentication and final transaction state.
Raast Merchant Payments
Businesses and merchants can accept Raast by enabling it through participating banks or payment service providers. A QR or Raast merchant route is therefore an institution-and-merchant integration, not a universal button available at every checkout.
PayPak Domestic vs Co-Badged
PayPak states that its mono-badged card is designed for domestic use only, while co-badged cards can be used for domestic and international transactions through the participating partner network. Always identify the exact card before assuming foreign acceptance.
JazzCash Wallet Layer
JazzCash currently offers money transfer, bill and government payments, cards, merchant services and international-remittance-related features. The account level, wallet status, transaction type, recipient and current limits remain route-specific.
easypaisa and Raast
easypaisa currently lets eligible users send through Raast using a Raast ID and also supports bank-account transfers. Account verification and level can affect sending limits, so diagnose the exact transfer route rather than treating the wallet as one generic balance.
1LINK and Domestic Connectivity
SBP describes 1LINK-operated retail payment systems as providing 24/7 P2P transfer capability across channels such as ATMs, internet banking and mobile banking. That domestic infrastructure should be separated from any international merchant or remittance route.
Leaving Pakistan
Domestic Reach Does Not Automatically Become International Reach
A Raast payment, mono-badged PayPak card or domestic wallet transfer can work well inside Pakistan and still be unavailable at a foreign merchant. For an international payment, start with the foreign merchant or regulated recipient route, then identify the Pakistan-side product that fits that exact door. A co-badged PayPak card, a separate Visa or Mastercard, or a regulated transfer provider can create international routes, but eligibility remains transaction-specific.
| Foreign Payment Job | First Route to Inspect | What Changes Outside Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign ecommerce or subscription | The card or wallet method actually exposed by the merchant | Add the foreign merchant entity, billing country, original currency, exact Pakistan-issued card and network, online/international controls, authentication, recurring terms, issuer approval, PKR conversion and refund path. |
| International invoice or verified recipient | A regulated bank or transfer provider that explicitly supports the country pair | Confirm sender eligibility, purpose, legal recipient, recipient account or payout route, send and receive currencies, current rate and fees, transfer time, compliance checks, transaction state, cancellation or return process. |
| Co-badged PayPak card abroad | The international network printed on or assigned to the exact card | Verify the co-badge, issuer controls, merchant acceptance, country, currency, authentication, limits and final authorization. The PayPak name alone does not prove foreign acceptance. |
| Cross-border instant-payment connection | An explicitly live regulated cross-border integration | SBP is developing cross-border Raast connectivity with Buna for the Arab region. Do not treat the project description as proof that every Pakistan account can already receive or send every Buna-linked corridor; verify the participating institution and live product first. |
UAE → Pakistan
A Verified Inbound Corridor Now Has Its Own Route Map
For money coming from the United Arab Emirates, the dedicated UAE-to-Pakistan corridor separates direct bank delivery, cash pickup, UAE funding, AED/PKR conversion, fees, timing, transfer states and recovery. Use that route rather than assuming a domestic Pakistan payment rail describes the complete cross-border transfer.
Where the Route Breaks
Find the Failed Layer Before Retrying
A Raast failure belongs to the participating bank or wallet, identifier, limit or transaction state. A PayPak failure belongs to the exact card, badge type, merchant and issuer route. A foreign card decline belongs to international card authorization. A wallet problem belongs to JazzCash, easypaisa or the specific merchant integration. Read the first failed gate before switching methods.
Card Checkout Declined
Record issuer message, card network and badge, amount, currency, available balance, online/international controls, merchant, authentication and final authorization state.
Authentication Failed
Separate OTP or app authentication from the later authorization decision. A successful challenge does not guarantee payment approval.
Cross-Border Route Blocked
Compare the Pakistan-side product, foreign merchant or recipient, country pair, currency, international controls, provider eligibility, compliance checks and route status.
PKR Money Trail Changed
Reconcile the original foreign amount, conversion provider, card or transfer authorization, final PKR posting, separate fees, transaction date and refund conversion.
Payment States Disagree
Check whether the first Raast, wallet, card or transfer attempt is pending, completed, reversed, returned, rejected or refunded before sending again.
Straight Answers
Questions About Payments in Pakistan
What is Raast?
Raast is Pakistan’s national instant payment system. It supports interoperable retail payments through participating banks, wallets, EMIs and payment providers, including P2P and merchant-payment use cases.
What is a Raast ID?
A Raast ID is an alias linked to an eligible account; SBP’s P2P guidance currently uses a registered mobile number as the identifier. Users can also send through IBANs where supported.
Is PayPak an international card?
PayPak is Pakistan’s domestic payment scheme. PayPak says mono-badged cards are for domestic use, while eligible co-badged cards can use participating international networks. Check the exact card and co-badge before relying on it abroad.
Can JazzCash or easypaisa use Raast?
Raast is available through participating institutions and wallets. easypaisa currently documents Raast transfers directly in its app, while wallet and bank participation should always be confirmed in the current product interface.
Can Raast be used automatically for any foreign payment?
No. Raast is primarily Pakistan’s instant retail-payment infrastructure. SBP is developing cross-border connectivity through Buna, but a specific international route requires a live participating institution and supported product.
Freshness Check
How Current Is the Pakistan Payment Map?
We last checked this Pakistan payment map on September 15, 2026. Raast participation, merchant integration, PayPak issuance and co-badging, wallet features, card acceptance, international controls, fees, limits, exchange rates, payment states, refunds and recovery can change. Review again by December 15, 2026 or earlier after a material State Bank of Pakistan, 1LINK, PayPak, bank, wallet, card-network or payment-provider update.
Last checked: September 15, 2026
Another Verified Route Into Pakistan
For money coming from Saudi Arabia, open the dedicated Saudi Arabia to Pakistan payment methods guide for direct bank delivery, cash pickup, Saudi-issued MADA funding, SAR/PKR conversion, fees, timing, transfer states, and recovery.
What We Checked: Pakistan Payment Rails
We reviewed State Bank of Pakistan, 1LINK/PayPak, JazzCash and easypaisa materials on September 15, 2026. The official sources distinguish Raast instant payments, 1LINK retail infrastructure, PayPak domestic and co-badged card routing, mobile-wallet transfers and regulated cross-border routes. Domestic availability does not by itself prove that a foreign merchant or recipient supports the same route.
- State Bank of Pakistan: Raast — national instant-payment system overview.
- State Bank of Pakistan: Payment Systems — Raast, 1LINK-operated retail systems, wallets, IBAN and PayPak context.
- State Bank of Pakistan: Raast P2P — IBAN, Raast ID and participating-bank transfer guidance.
- State Bank of Pakistan: Raast cross-border payments — current Buna connectivity project context.
- PayPak: About PayPak — domestic scheme ownership, acceptance and co-badge context.
- PayPak Standard — mono-badged domestic-only and co-badged international-use distinction.
- 1LINK — PayPak and domestic payment-infrastructure context.
- JazzCash — current wallet, transfer, card and remittance-related product context.
- easypaisa: Send money via Raast — current Raast ID and app-transfer guidance.