KARACHI: Pakistan’s 1LINK expects transaction volumes across its payment rails to exceed 12 billion in 2026, with total throughput approaching Rs90 trillion as digital payments continue to grow. The projection covers financial and non-financial transactions, value-added services and Fraud Risk Management Services.
In 2025, 1LINK processed more than 10 billion transactions worth Rs75.4 trillion, up nearly 20% in volume and 19.3% in value.
Syed Suleman Hasan, Chief Corporate Affairs and Company Secretary at 1LINK, said the company was on track to process payment transactions equivalent to approximately 75% of Pakistan’s GDP.
From January to September 2026, 1IBFT processed approximately 998.9 million transactions worth Rs43.7 trillion, while 1BILL facilitated around 170.6 million transactions valued at Rs12.3 trillion.
The company’s ATM Switching network handled another 285.4 million transactions worth Rs3.2 trillion during the same period.
PayPak, Pakistan’s domestic payment scheme, has meanwhile issued approximately 16.8 million cards and accounts for nearly 28% of all debit cards in circulation.
Hasan said digital payments were reducing dependence on cash and allowing consumers to transfer funds, pay bills, make purchases and access banking services more efficiently.
He said 1LINK, which is marking its 22nd anniversary, also supports government payment and collection initiatives and works with banks, fintechs, regulators and other participants in the financial ecosystem.
Hasan said further growth in digital payments would be driven by increasing smartphone penetration, expanding digital banking adoption and greater acceptance of electronic payments among consumers and merchants.
“Technology has fundamentally changed how people interact with financial services. As we celebrate 22 years of serving Pakistan, our focus remains on enabling innovation, promoting interoperability and delivering payment infrastructure that supports the evolving needs of consumers, businesses and the national economy,” he said.
