What PayPak does

PayPak is Pakistan's first and only domestic payment scheme (DPS), making Pakistan the 28th country globally to operate its own domestic payment network. Owned and operated by 1LINK (Pvt.) Limited under the aegis of the State Bank of Pakistan, the scheme was launched with the stated objective of spurring financial inclusion and digitization. PayPak issues EMV-compliant debit cards with contact and contactless Tap & Pay functionality, offering a portfolio of four variants: PayPak Edge (premium with airport lounge access and executive health checkups), PayPak Standard (core product with insurance and fraud protection), PayPak Green (cost-effective for unbanked segments and government program recipients), and PayPak Pink (women-focused with female-specific insurance benefits). All transactions are locally routed within Pakistan with no cross-border data transfer, and select variants support co-badging with Mastercard, UnionPay International, and JCB for global acceptance.

The technology infrastructure comprises EMV-compliant chip technology with local-only transaction routing, a PayPak Hope mobile app for QR-based merchant discount redemption, and integrations with insurance providers (EFU Life and General) and discount platforms (Golootlo). Distribution operates through 36 issuing banks and 6 affiliate/EMIs, with acceptance across 18,500+ ATMs, 125,000+ POS machines, and 3,000+ e-commerce merchants. The scheme has achieved 16.1 million cards in force.

PayPak generates revenue through interchange and transaction processing fees charged on card transactions at ATMs, POS terminals, and e-commerce merchants. Card pricing varies by issuing bank schedule of charges, with insurance benefits bundled into card variants. The go-to-market model is exclusively B2B2C: PayPak does not issue cards directly but relies entirely on bank and EMI partners for distribution, targeting Pakistan's unbanked and underbanked populations alongside mainstream consumers, affluent individuals, and women as distinct customer segments.

Name

PayPak

Legal name

1LINK (Pvt.) Limited

Website

https://paypak.net.pk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

PayPak is Pakistan's first and only domestic payment scheme, operated by 1LINK under State Bank of Pakistan oversight. It provides EMV-compliant debit card variants distributed through 36 issuing banks to 16.1 million cardholders nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domestic Payment Scheme

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic / National Card Schemes (FSAMAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

General-Purpose Debit Card Schemes (FSAMAAAB)

Keywords

• Domestic payment scheme
• Debit card network
• Payment processing
• EMV chip payments
• Financial inclusion

Headquarters

HQ city

Karachi

HQ country

Pakistan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Transaction Processing Fees: PayPak generates revenue through interchange and transaction processing fees charged on card transactions at ATMs, POS terminals, and e-commerce merchants across its network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PayPak operates Pakistan's first and only domestic payment scheme (DPS), providing EMV-compliant debit card payment infrastructure accepted at ATMs, POS terminals, and e-commerce merchants nationwide. The scheme is distributed exclusively through 36 issuing banks and 6 affiliate/EMI partners across multiple card variants (Edge, Standard, Green, Pink) targeting mainstream consumers, premium customers, financially excluded segments, and women. Co-badged cards with MasterCard, UnionPay International, and JCB extend acceptance globally.

Product overview

PayPak is Pakistan's first and only domestic payment scheme (DPS), making Pakistan the 28th country in the world with its own domestic payment network. Owned and operated by 1LINK under the aegis of the State Bank of Pakistan, PayPak offers a portfolio of EMV-compliant debit card variants. The product lineup includes PayPak Edge (premium variant with airport lounge access and executive health check-ups), PayPak Standard (core product with standard insurance and fraud protection), PayPak Green (cost-effective card for financial inclusion), and PayPak Pink (specialized card for women with female-related insurance and a Gold Reward Program). All cards accept contactless payments with Tap & Pay functionality and are accepted at ATMs, POS terminals, and e-commerce merchants nationwide. The PayPak Hope mobile app enables discount discovery and QR-based redemption at merchant outlets. Some card variants support co-badging with international payment schemes (Mastercard, UnionPay, JCB) for global acceptance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PayPak Edge: Pakistan's first truly premium card variant crafted for affluent and aspirational customers with premium insurance, executive health check-ups, and exclusive lifestyle benefits. Available in both Conventional and Islamic variants.
• PayPak Standard
• PayPak Green
• PayPak Pink
• PayPak Hope

Products and services

• PayPak Edge Premium debit card variant crafted for affluent and aspirational customers, offering airport lounge access, executive health check-ups at partner hospitals (Aga Khan University Hospital, Al Shifa Hospital Islamabad, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital), comprehensive insurance coverage up to PKR 3,000,000 for accidental death, and lifestyle discounts. Available in both Conventional and Islamic (Takaful) variants.
• PayPak Standard Core debit card product providing easy access to funds at ATMs and merchants across Pakistan. Supports contact and contactless payments with EMV chip technology and Tap & Pay functionality. Includes Life Insurance/Takaful coverage up to PKR 100,000, Fraud Protection up to PKR 30,000 per year, and discounts at 30,000+ merchant locations via Golootlo app. Available in mono-badge (domestic) and co-badged variants for international use.
• PayPak Green Cost-effective debit card designed to support financial inclusion for unbanked segments including blue-collar workers, low-income employees, government program recipients, and social assistance participants. Offers basic insurance coverage including Life Insurance PKR 50,000, Accidental Death PKR 100,000, and Fraud Protection PKR 15,000. Mono-badge only for domestic transactions.
• PayPak Pink Specialized debit card created specifically for women in Pakistan, featuring female-related insurance coverage including Micro Female Critical Illness Benefit PKR 100,000, Life Insurance PKR 100,000, and Accidental Death PKR 200,000. Includes PayPak Pink Gold Reward Program earning gold on Off-Us ATM, POS, and e-commerce transactions. Available as mono-badge and co-badged with JCB, UnionPay, and Mastercard.
• PayPak Hope Mobile Application Mobile application for eligible PayPak cardholders to discover merchant offers and redeem them by scanning QR codes at participating merchant outlets, providing discount discovery and redemption functionality across Pakistan.

Quantifiable outcome

• 16.1 Million cards in force
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 1LINK (Pvt.) LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016PayPak is owned and operated by 1LINK and was launched under the aegis of the State Bank of Pakistan. 1LINK serves as the parent company and operator of Pakistan's domestic payment scheme.
• HBL (Habib Bank Limited)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHBL partnered with UnionPay International and PayPak to launch a co-badged debit card enabling domestic payment infrastructure with global network acceptance.
• UnionPay InternationalcoreTechnology or IntegrationInternational payment scheme partner enabling co-badged cards with global acceptance alongside PayPak's domestic infrastructure.
• MasterCardcoreTechnology or IntegrationInternational payment scheme for co-badged PayPak cards enabling global transaction acceptance beyond domestic network.
• UPI (UnionPay International)coreTechnology or IntegrationCo-badged card partnership enabling international transactions for PayPak cardholders.
• JCBcoreTechnology or IntegrationInternational payment scheme partnership for co-badged PayPak cards providing global acceptance.
• EFU Life AssurancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInsurance partner for PayPak Edge providing term life insurance coverage of PKR 1,500,000 and other insurance benefits.
• EFU General InsurancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInsurance partner for PayPak Edge providing accidental insurance, C-section coverage, fraudulent transaction coverage, and health benefits.
• GolootlocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDiscount discovery and redemption platform partnership providing exclusive deals and discounts at 30,000+ merchant locations exclusively through the Golootlo app for PayPak cardholders.
• EFU Insurance (Pink variant)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInsurance partner for PayPak Pink providing life insurance, accidental death, daily health cash, ICU benefits, and fraud protection coverage.
• Aga Khan University HospitalminorOthersExecutive health check-up partner hospital for PayPak Edge cardholders in Karachi.
• Al Shifa Hospital IslamabadminorOthersExecutive health check-up partner hospital for PayPak Edge cardholders in Islamabad.
• Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer HospitalminorOthersExecutive health check-up partner hospital for PayPak Edge cardholders in Lahore.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Egyptian Banks' Co. - Meeza: Egypt's national domestic payment scheme. Comparable to PayPak as a country-level DPS targeting financial inclusion, with EMV chip infrastructure and broad bank-issuer distribution.
• RuPay (NPCI): India's domestic card payment scheme operated by NPCI. The closest functional analogue to PayPak: a national, government-backed debit/credit scheme launched to drive financial inclusion, with co-badging options and a multi-variant card portfolio.
• BKM - TROY: Turkey's domestic payment scheme. Comparable in role - a national debit/credit scheme operated under central-bank oversight that competes with Visa/Mastercard in a single country with co-badging options.
• mada (Saudi Payments): Saudi Arabia's national card scheme under SAMA oversight. Highly comparable to PayPak: domestic EMV debit network, financial-inclusion focus, multi-variant card portfolio, and co-badging with international schemes for global acceptance.

Broad incumbents

• UnionPay International: China-origin global card network and PayPak co-badging partner. Relevant as a comparable international scheme that also pursues domestic-scheme partnerships in emerging markets.
• JCB Co., Ltd. Japan-based international card network and PayPak co-badging partner. Comparable as an Asia-region international scheme that partners with emerging-market domestic schemes for cross-border reach.
• Mastercard: Global card network and an active PayPak co-badging partner. Mastercard is simultaneously a competitor for domestic transactions and a partner for cross-border acceptance via co-badged cards.
• Visa: Global card network with deep issuer and acquirer presence in Pakistan. PayPak directly competes for the same debit transaction volume, and PayPak's growth depends on displacing or co-existing with Visa's acceptance footprint.

Others

• 1LINK (Pvt.) Limited: PayPak's parent and operator, running Pakistan's interbank payment switch (1IBFT etc.). Comparable as the same corporate entity that owns PayPak, and a peer in the broader Pakistani payment-infrastructure stack.

Regional players

• Pakistan Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs): Regulated EMIs in Pakistan (e.g., JazzCash, EasyPaisa wallets) that compete with PayPak-debit at the consumer payment level. Comparable as adjacent Pakistan-only payment-acceptance players targeting the same unbanked segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@PayPak-ic2gq
• Facebookfacebook.com/PayPak.Official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pay-pak
• Instagraminstagram.com/paypakofficial

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PayPak