Fintech in Pakistan is growing rapidly, driven by increasing Internet and mobile phone penetration.
According to Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, the head of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the country currently boasts around 269 startups. The State Bank of Pakistan anticipates that the market potential for digital finance services in Pakistan will surpass US$36 billion by 2024, a growth trajectory poised to boost the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 7% and create 4 million new jobs.
In this dynamic ecosystem, several fintech ventures have emerged as category leaders, recording substantial growth and garnering investor attention. Today, we look at some of Pakistan’s most successful and fastest-growing independent fintech startups in 2024, highlighting their value propositions and recent achievements.
Top Fintech Startups in Pakistan
Abhi
Founded in 2021 in Pakistan, Abhi is a leading fintech company specializing in embedded finance solutions, such as earned wage access (EWA), payroll processing, payroll financing, and small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) financing. The company aims to increase financial inclusion across the region and has been serving Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bangladesh.
To date, Abhi has processed over US$300 million in loan value, supporting over 1,000 companies and more than 750,000 employees.
Backed by prominent investors like Y Combinator, SpeedInvest and Venture Souq, the startup has been working on growing its international footprint. In January 2024, it established its global headquarters in Abu Dhabi, supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office.
Abhi is currently in talks with several UAE banks to expand its offerings. In May 2024, the startup announced a partnership with Alraedah Digital Solutions, the innovation arm of Alraedah Digital Group, to introduce EWA and invoice factoring services in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, Abhi partnered with Mastercard to enhance the financial payments landscape in the UAE, launching the Mastercard-powered Salary Advance Cards to provide users with improved access to international and domestic online payments.
NayaPay
Established in 2016, NayaPay is said to be the first e-money institution in the country, offering a fintech platform that enhances access to financial services for underserved consumers and SMEs. The company has rapidly become a key player in Pakistan’s digital finance sector, providing innovative solutions that cater to a wide range of users, including students, freelancers, and digital natives.
For consumers, NayaPay has developed a chat-led super app that offers a variety of services, including e-wallets, virtual and physical Visa cards, and convenient features like everyday payments, money transfers, and bill splitting. The platform has already onboarded over 1.8 million users, signifying its growing popularity. For entrepreneurs, NayaPay offers access to business accounts, universal payment acceptance and powerful financial management tools with an easy-to-open e-money account and Visa debit cards.
NayaPay secured US$13 million in seed funding in 2022, and this year, the startup was featured on Forbes Asia’s 100 to Watch list, recognized for its impact and potential.
NayaPay has also made strategic partnerships to expand its offerings, teaming up with Ant Group in April to enable its users to make payments to 80 million merchants in China directly through the NayaPay app, and collaborating with Soneri Bank to allow customers to transfer funds seamlessly between their Soneri Bank and NayaPay accounts and make payments to NayaPay merchants directly from their Soneri Bank accounts.
PostEx
Founded in 2020, PostEx is a pioneering company that combines fintech and logistics to provide upfront payments to e-commerce businesses and a reliable delivery network in Pakistan. The company’s innovative hybrid model offers instant access to capital, helping e-commerce clients overcome the limitations of traditional financing methods while simultaneously streamlining their delivery operations through its embedded logistics solution.
PostEx provides upfront payments against cash-on-delivery orders and a bundled logistics solution, ensuring merchants receive timely payments while also managing deliveries. The company carefully controls the flow of funds by managing both the credit and delivery processes, collecting payments directly from consumers. This dual approach has proven successful, with over 80% of its 15,000 active merchants opting for the combined service of upfront payments and logistics.
PostEx recently crossed an annual recurring revenue rate of US$21 million, processing four million monthly transactions, and is on track to exceed US$25 million by the end of 2024.
The company secured US$7.3 million in an all-equity funding round in August 2024 to support its global expansion plans. This funding will facilitate its entry into Saudi Arabia within the next three months, followed by further expansion into the UAE. PostEx plans to apply for a financing license from the Saudi Central Bank and has already started a pilot program with local financing partners, targeting SMEs.
EduFi
Founded in 2021, EduFi is a “study now, pay later” platform, aimed at helping students finance and plan for their education. Headquartered in Singapore, the startup operates in Pakistan, utilizing an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform to streamline the borrowing process and allow students to apply for loans and access funds quickly.
The process for obtaining a loan with EduFi is designed to be user-friendly and efficient. Students or their parents apply for loans through the app, providing proof of their financial status, such as the last 12 months’ bank statements or evidence of income from salaried employment, a small business, or freelance work. Once a loan is approved, the funds are directly transferred to the college’s bank account. EduFi’s AI-driven credit scoring system ensures loan approvals within 48 hours, facilitating swift disbursement of funds.
In addition to providing financial services, EduFi offers personalized guidance through experienced counselors who help students make informed decisions about their education, from selecting schools and degree programs to managing finances and preparing for a successful career. This comprehensive support aims to enhance the educational journey for every borrower.
EduFi has partnerships with 15 universities, allowing the app to be available to about 200,000 students. In November 2023, the startup secured a US$6.1 million pre-seed funding round to reach more customers, optimize its platform, expand to neighboring countries and launch other fintech products, including student credit cards.
Neem
Founded in 2019, Neem is a leading embedded finance company. Registered in Singapore and operating in Pakistan, the company provides a banking-as-a-service (BaaS) platform that allows digital businesses across various industries to provide embedded financial services to their customers.
The Neem platform offers a comprehensive suite of embedded financial services, such as payments infrastructure, lending, and insurance, catering to diverse sectors like mobility, agriculture, gaming, and e-commerce. By integrating Neem’s easy-to-use payment application programming interfaces (APIs) and software development kits (SDKs), digital platforms can offer a seamless experience, enabling international business customers to make payments using debit or credit cards and ensuring quicker settlements.
Neem is backed by global investors, including Outrun Ventures, SparkLabs Fintech, angel investors from Stripe, PayNet, M-Pesa and more. The startup raised US$1 million in June 2023 from DNI Group to further develop its BaaS technology and platform, and acquire talent across key areas including product, partnerships, compliance and product marketing. The round followed a US$2.5 million seed funding round secured in September 2022.
Digitt+
Digitt+ is Pakistan’s first regulated agri-fintech platform, provided by AFT. It is dedicated to creating a tailored financial ecosystem for the agricultural sector and supporting small-scale merchants, with a special focus on the unbanked population.
As a comprehensive multilingual digital wallet, Digitt+ streamlines various financial and daily activities. The platform features a proprietary funds disbursement system and crop management tools to ensure efficient and transparent transactions. Farmers receive PayPak debit cards, which integrate them into the formal financial system. Additionally, the app facilitates bill payments, mobile top-ups, travel planning, accommodation bookings, and event ticket purchases.
Expanding its services, Digitt+ now includes maize crop payments through an open API solution, aimed at broadening its reach and enhancing financial inclusivity. The company is also set to implement instant payment solutions for the upcoming crop season to tackle the challenge of timely payments, streamline financial processes, and improve operational efficiency for farmers.
In June 2024, Digitt+ achieved a significant milestone by successfully disbursing PKR 1 billion (US$3.6 million) in crop payments. Following this, in July 2024, the company secured an investment from HBL, Pakistan’s leading bank, to boost financial inclusion and operational efficiency across the agricultural and merchant sectors. In August 2024, it announced a partnership with People, Pakistan’s largest human resources (HR) services firm, to leverage its open API framework. This partnership aims to empower nearly 150,000 employees with the PerfectPay mobile wallet solution and a co-branded Mastercard, offering seamless financial transactions and a comprehensive suite of services, including real-time processing and secure payments.
Digitt+ obtained full commercial approval from the State Bank of Pakistan in 2023. This followed a successful pilot phase during which Digitt+ onboarded 10,000 customers, facilitated transactions worth PKR 400 million (US$1.4 million), and processed 85,000 transactions.
CreditBook
Launched in 2020, CreditBook is a company focused on improving financial services for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Pakistan. The company started with a ledger and bookkeeping app designed to help these businesses manage their finances more effectively. Over time, it expanded its services to include tailored financial solutions such as lending, savings, and treasury management.
The platform is designed to empower underserved businesses, allowing them to extend financing to their customers within hours. It aims to aid businesses in managing their finances, tracking expenses, and handling accounting tasks through a user-friendly application. CreditBook emphasizes that its solutions simplify compliance, technical integration, and financing processes, potentially boosting revenue by up to three times.
CreditBook has successfully impacted over one million MSMEs across 400 localities in Pakistan. The company says it has facilitated over 5,000 instances of funding with an impressive 85% renewal rate.
CreditBook’s growing user base and success have firmly established it as a key player in Pakistan’s fintech ecosystem. Notably, the startup attracted significant attention from Tiger Global, which made its first investment in Pakistan by participating in the startup’s US$11 million pre-Series A funding round in December 2021.
Featured image credit: edited from freepik
