State Bank of Pakistan Issues Draft Open Banking Framework to Accelerate Fintech Inflows

Modernizing Digital Finance

In a landmark regulatory milestone, the State Bank of Pakistan unveiled draft Open Banking Regulations designed to formalize secure, API-driven financial architecture between licensed banks and authorized third-party fintech applications.

Core Objectives of the Framework

• Customer-Centric Consent: Users will have granular authority to share transaction histories with verified lenders for instant micro-loan scoring.
• SME Financing Inclusion: Addresses Pakistan's multi-billion dollar SME credit deficit by allowing digital balance sheet verification.
• Fintech Capital Formation: Venture investors anticipate the framework will unlock new seed and Series A allocations for local digital payment operators.