Overview
- The State Bank of Pakistan and the Pakistan Banks Association officially launched the Pasban scheme on Friday, September 25, 2026, offering Rs16 billion in annual cash prizes funded entirely by participating banks.
- Eligibility requires a beneficiary to receive the equivalent of at least $100 each month for three consecutive months in a quarter and each $100 earns one digital, non-transferable entry with higher remittances earning proportionally more entries.
- Each quarter 2,521 prizes worth Rs4 billion will be drawn digitally and audibly, including a Rs100 million top prize, 20 prizes of Rs25 million, 100 prizes of Rs10 million and 2,400 prizes of Rs1 million, with the first draw set for January 15, 2027 covering remittances from October 1 to December 31, 2026.
- Prizes are allocated by remittance source to ensure regional representation — 50% for the GCC, 15% for the UK, 15% for Europe, 10% for North America and 10% for other countries — and banks must not charge beneficiaries to participate.
- SBP framed the scheme as part of a broader external‑sector recovery after reserves rose from under $3 billion in February 2023 to $21.4 billion and record remittances of $41.6 billion in FY26, and banks have also cut the Export Refinance Facility markup to 4.5% and raised industry remitter incentives to nearly Rs100 billion annually.