Jahanzeb Khan, President and CEO of easypaisa digital bank, told a fintech audience that locally grounded, insight-driven digital innovation can unlock full-spectrum financial inclusion across Pakistan. Speaking at the inaugural Money20/20 Middle East in Riyadh, Khan outlined how easypaisa’s digital retail bank model, technology partnerships and targeted products are expanding access to formal financial services for millions of previously underserved Pakistanis.
Khan joined industry leaders on a panel titled “Future of Global Finance is Local+Digital,” alongside Rob Cameron, Global Head of Acceptance Solutions at Visa, and Ahmad Habib Alhaddad, Senior Director – Product Development at STC Bank. The discussion focused on how local market understanding combined with global technology can accelerate financial inclusion and practical digital banking adoption.
Describing easypaisa’s transformation into Pakistan’s first digital retail bank that began commercial operations earlier this year, Khan emphasized the platform’s reach and social impact. He noted that easypaisa has extended financial access to large numbers of people in underserved communities, addressing a persistent gap in a country that still has one of the region’s largest unbanked populations.
Khan said easypaisa aims to become a gateway for financial inclusion and cross-border connectivity by serving families receiving remittances, small businesses conducting international transactions, and young freelancers working with global clients. “One of our focus areas is to make easypaisa the primary platform for families receiving remittances, small businesses conducting international transactions, and young freelancers working with clients worldwide and contributing to strengthening Pakistan’s economy,” he said. “By facilitating faster, cheaper, and more accessible cross-border payments and remittances, we aim to transform the role of digital finance in Pakistan’s economy.”
He also highlighted the role of public policy and regulation, noting that the government and the State Bank of Pakistan are working to digitize the economy under a cashless initiative and to implement financial sector reforms. “easypaisa will continue to spearhead this change by supporting the regulator and promoting a more interoperable, secure, and inclusive financial ecosystem,” Khan added, stressing the shared objective of enabling every Pakistani to participate in the formal digital economy.
Khan framed democratizing financial services—making them affordable, convenient and widely accessible—as easypaisa’s strategic priority. He pointed to international remittances and cross-border payment solutions as important use cases that support freelancers and expatriates while channeling foreign currency into formal economic flows, a critical need for Pakistan’s economic stability.
The panel also explored how easypaisa is leveraging Ant International’s global expertise alongside local insights to broaden service offerings. Discussion highlighted technologies such as AI-driven tools, electronic know-your-customer (eKYC) processes and mobile Platform-as-a-Service (mPaaS) capabilities, illustrating how collaboration between global and local players can produce tailored solutions that expand financial access.
Money20/20 serves as a platform for banks, fintechs, Big Tech, regulators, startups and investors to exchange ideas and forge partnerships that shape the future of finance. The event provided a forum for dialogue on how localized digital solutions and partnerships can drive meaningful progress in financial inclusion.
easypaisa’s scale underscores its impact: the bank serves roughly one in five Pakistanis, has a 31% female user base and recently processed over 2.7 billion transactions worth more than PKR 9.5 trillion, equivalent to about 9% of Pakistan’s GDP. With these metrics, easypaisa positions itself as a leader in setting benchmarks for digital banking and financial empowerment across Pakistan.
