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Raast in Pakistan: limits, charges and how to send

Short answer Raast is the State Bank of Pakistan’s instant payment system. Sending money through it is free for customers under SBP’s DI&SD Circular No. 01 of 2022. SBP has set no limit on the Raast system since April 1, 2022; your bank or wallet sets one, and it may not be below Rs200,000 per transaction (or your account type’s limit) or below your IBFT limit. You send to a Raast ID, which is the recipient’s mobile number, or to an IBAN.

At a glance

What Raast is

Raast is Pakistan’s instant payment system, built by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). It is run by Raast Payments Pakistan (Private) Limited, a wholly-owned SBP subsidiary. Raast is separate from IBFT (Inter Bank Funds Transfer), which runs on 1LINK, a switch owned by a group of banks. See IBFT vs Raast.

It came in stages:

  • Bulk payments: launched on January 11, 2021.
  • Person to person (P2P): launched under DI&SD Circular No. 01 of 2022, dated February 3, 2022. You send from your bank’s app, internet banking or branch counter; SBP requires banks to offer Raast on all three.
  • Person to merchant (P2M): SBP launched it in December 2023. Its circular is listed on SBP’s site as “Launch of Raast Person to Merchant (P2M) Service”. The Associated Press of Pakistan reported that merchants can be paid by QR code, Raast ID, IBAN or Request to Pay, and that banks were told not to charge customers who pay this way.

Raast is for payments inside Pakistan. HBL and Allied Bank say on their Raast pages that remittances from abroad cannot be received through it. For money sent from overseas, see Receiving money from abroad.

Raast ID: your mobile number

A Raast ID is your mobile number linked to one of your accounts. Others can then send you money with just that number.

  • You need one only to receive by mobile number. Meezan Bank and Allied Bank both say you can send to a Raast ID or IBAN without registering, and receive to your IBAN without one.
  • One ID, one account. Meezan Bank: “an individual can only register one RAAST ID with one linked account”. To move it to another bank, de-link it first, then link it at the new bank.
  • Mobile number only. HBL: “you can only use your mobile phone number to set up your RAAST ID”.
  • Account types. HBL says Raast is only for single and joint customer accounts, not foreign currency or corporate accounts.

How to register

The steps are much the same everywhere: open your bank or wallet app, find Raast ID management, pick the account, confirm with the OTP.

Bank Where to register, per the bank’s page
Meezan Bank Internet Banking › Raast Payment › Register Your Raast ID, then OTP
HBL HBL Mobile › RAAST ID Management › Create ID
UBL UBL Digital App › Profile › Settings › Raast Management › Create
MCB Bank MCB Live › Manage Raast ID, then OTP; or at a branch with biometric verification
Allied Bank myABL app › RAAST › Manage Your RAAST ID › Link Raast ID
Bank Alfalah SMS “Raast” to 8287, or Alfa › Raast ID Management

Source: each bank’s Raast page, linked in Sources · checked 2026-09-28

What Raast costs

Nothing, for customers. SBP’s DI&SD Circular No. 01 of 2022 says banks “shall not levy any charges on Raast related services and all transactions conducted through Raast would be free for end customers”. SBP also offers Raast to banks free of cost.

Banks’ schedules for July–December 2026 agree where they list Raast: UBL and MCB list “IBFT via Raast” as free, Allied Bank says “Raast Transactions are Free of Cost”, and Faysal Bank lists “Raast Services” as free (schedules checked 2026-09-27). Where a schedule says nothing about Raast, the SBP rule still applies. Bank-by-bank IBFT charges are on IBFT charges.

Raast limits

The SBP rule

Under DI&SD Circular Letter No. 02 of 2022, SBP has set no transaction limits on the Raast system since April 1, 2022. Banks, microfinance banks (MFBs) and EMIs (electronic money institutions, such as wallet companies) set their own, based on your risk profile, with three floors:

  • Per transaction: not less than Rs200,000, or the limit that applies to your account type. Wallet and branchless accounts have lower level-based limits, so their Raast limit can be lower.
  • Total: your Raast limit may not be lower than your IBFT limit.
  • Disclosure: your bank must tell you the limit and show what is left in its app or internet banking. SBP also requires apps to let you raise or lower your limits yourself.

Banks may not set a minimum amount, and may not limit the number of Raast transactions unless there are genuine fraud or cyber security concerns.

Limits by bank and wallet

Only figures a bank or wallet publishes on its own site are listed. “Not published” means we found no figure on the provider’s own pages.

Provider Raast limit on its own page Notes
Meezan Bank Rs1,000,000 a day (Visa Silver and Women First debit cards); Rs1,500,000 a day (Visa Gold) Internet and mobile banking; the per-transaction limit is the same. Other cards: not checked
HBL Rs200,000 a day “For now”; branchless (Konnect) account limits apply
UBL Rs200,000 per transaction “Currently”
MCB Bank Rs500,000 a day The note sits under MCB’s branch Raast service
Allied Bank Rs1,000,000 a day (Visa Classic); Rs2,500,000 (Visa Platinum); Rs5,000,000 (Visa Premium); Rs250,000 (UnionPay/PayPak) Daily limit by debit card
Bank Alfalah Up to Rs1,000,000, “as per your Alfa/Alfa Web package” An undated Alfa FAQ file gives a different per-transaction figure; your app shows the limit that applies
Easypaisa Not published Limits depend on your account level
JazzCash Not published Wallet limits by level apply to every channel
SadaPay Not published Its help centre gives limits for transfers to other banks, not for Raast separately
NayaPay Rs50,000 a day; Rs200,000 once upgraded Its limit for transfers to banks, which you can send by 1LINK or Raast

Source: Meezan Bank ↗, HBL ↗, UBL ↗, MCB Bank ↗, Allied Bank ↗, Bank Alfalah ↗, Easypaisa ↗, JazzCash ↗, SadaPay ↗, NayaPay ↗ · checked 2026-09-28

Many banks set one daily limit for all digital transfers and let you change it in the app. If a Raast payment fails for the amount, check the limit your app shows. More on wallets: Wallets.

How to send money by Raast

  1. Open your bank or wallet app and choose Raast (some apps list it under Send Money or Transfers).
  2. Enter the recipient’s Raast ID (their mobile number) or IBAN. Some apps let you scan a Raast QR code.
  3. Check the account title the app shows. HBL’s app, for example, shows the recipient’s account title before you confirm.
  4. Enter the amount and confirm with your OTP, PIN or biometrics.

The money should reach the recipient within 20 seconds of the credit advice from Raast. If the payment is rejected, SBP requires your bank to tell you why by SMS, email or in-app notice, and banks may not hold the funds.

Warning Raast payments are final and irrevocable. Check the name shown before you confirm. If the recipient has deleted their Raast ID, the payment is rejected, not sent elsewhere.

Operating hours

SBP requires banks to keep every Raast channel continuously available, to announce planned maintenance to SBP and customers at least two weeks in advance, and to tell customers at once about unplanned outages. Banks must also run a 24/7 Raast helpdesk. We found no SBP statement of the Raast system’s own hours.

If something goes wrong

  1. Your bank or wallet first. SBP requires every Raast bank to have a 24/7 call centre and a complaints process. For example: HBL 021-111-111-425, Allied Bank 042-111-225-225.
  2. Banking Mohtasib Pakistan. If the bank does not reply within 45 days, or you are not satisfied, you can complain to the Banking Mohtasib (banking ombudsman).
  3. Sunwai. SBP’s complaint portal and app, sunwai.sbp.org.pk ↗, sends your complaint to the right forum. SBP handles some complaints itself, including those about microfinance banks. SBP’s helpline is 021-111-727-273.

Latest news

Questions

What is Raast?

Pakistan’s instant payment system, built by SBP and run by its subsidiary Raast Payments Pakistan. You can send money to a mobile-number Raast ID or an IBAN, free, and it should arrive within 20 seconds.

Is Raast free?

Yes. SBP’s DI&SD Circular No. 01 of 2022 says banks shall not charge for Raast services and all Raast transactions are free for end customers.

What is the Raast limit per day?

SBP sets none. Your bank or wallet sets it, at not less than Rs200,000 per transaction (or your account type’s limit) and not below your IBFT limit. Published figures range from Rs200,000 a day at HBL to Rs5,000,000 a day for Allied Bank’s Visa Premium card. Your app must show your limit.

Do I need a Raast ID to send money?

No. You can send to a Raast ID or an IBAN without registering. You need a Raast ID only to receive money on your mobile number.

Can I get back money sent by mistake?

SBP’s circular says Raast transactions are final and irrevocable. Contact your bank at once; if that fails, see the complaints steps above.

Related

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