News
Sourced news on PVARA licensing, SBP rules and Raast, digital banks and wallets, and remittances to Pakistan. Every story links its official source.
Remittances reached US$41.6bn in FY26; Pasban rewards start October 1
FY26 remittances came to US$41.6bn, and the new Pasban prize scheme starts on October 1, 2026.
RDA inflows were US$259m in August as total passed US$13.9bn
SBP data show US$259m entered Roshan Digital Accounts in August, down from US$282m in July; accounts reached 966,144.
EBANX plans Pakistan entry via JazzCash, Easypaisa and Raast
Payments firm EBANX plans to accept JazzCash and Easypaisa for global online merchants, with Raast next.
FBR sets Rs195 per 1,000 YouTube views as the floor for taxing creators' income
SROs 1640–1642 of 2026 count creator income as the higher of Rs195 per 1,000 YouTube views or actual earnings, less up to 30% expenses, with quarterly advance tax.
PVARA to set up a Shariah advisory board for virtual assets
PVARA's chairman says a Shariah advisory board will guide virtual-asset transactions; no members or date yet.
Pensioners' proof of life moves from banks to NADRA; accounts can't be made dormant
Federal pensioners now verify through NADRA's Pak-ID app or NADRA channels every 180 days, and banks may not mark pension accounts dormant over proof of life.
Only Binance and HTX hold PVARA NOCs, and a NOC is not a licence
Binance and HTX are the only confirmed PVARA NOC holders, and no platform holds a full licence yet.
Mashreq Pakistan adds Raast QR payments for merchants
Mashreq Pakistan says customers can pay by Raast QR and sole traders can accept Raast payments through NEOBiz.
SBP closes first fintech sandbox: four of six pass testing, no approval yet
SBP says Taptap Send UK with UBL, Digi Khata, Swich Retail and Neem passed sandbox testing, but each still needs SBP authorisation before a commercial launch.
HugoBank starts SBP-approved pilot, public limited to a waitlist
HugoBank's SBP-approved pilot starts with employees and consortium members; the public gets only a waitlist.
SBP holds policy rate at 11.5% in a 7-3 vote as inflation rises to 11.1%
The State Bank of Pakistan kept its policy rate at 11.5% on September 14, 2026, citing the Middle East conflict and August inflation of 11.1%.
PVARA transition ends: what the September 5 NOC deadline means for users
The Virtual Assets Act transition closed on September 5; PVARA reports about 70 applications and has named none.
SBP caps card fees at petrol pumps until January 2027 and pushes Raast QR
SBP capped card acceptance fees on fuel purchases until January 31, 2027 and told banks to enable Raast QR at pumps.