On 18 March 2026 in Lahore, the National Bank of Pakistan held its 2nd Merchant Sales Conference hosted by Golootlo, bringing together senior leadership from the bank, global payment schemes, fintech partners and key stakeholders from retail and Islamic banking to accelerate digital payments adoption across Pakistan.
Rehmat Ali Hasnie, President & CEO of NBP, set out a strategic vision to scale digital payments by expanding merchant acceptance in urban and semi-urban markets and positioning the bank as a leader in inclusive, secure and interoperable payment solutions for the country.
A fireside conversation led by Adnan Nasir, SEVP and Chief Digital Officer, explored the bank’s digital transformation and the growing role of debit cards and the NBP mobile app within the financial inclusion agenda. Contributions from Fouad Farrukh, SEVP Group Chief Islamic Banking Group, and Syed Mujtaba Abbas, SEVP Group Chief Retail Banking Group, highlighted how their business segments are driving transaction growth, merchant enablement and customer uptake of digital channels.
A panel chaired by the Head of Cards convened leaders from global payment schemes and fintech companies to discuss collaboration between schemes, merchant incentives and practical strategies to increase debit and digital transactions as Pakistan’s payments landscape evolves.
Another panel, chaired by the Division Head of the Digital Banking Group, examined merchant acquiring models, technology enablement and the role of fintech partnerships in expanding merchant acceptance and improving transaction efficiency, with emphasis on solutions suited to Pakistan’s diverse merchant base.
The conference reinforced NBP’s focus on execution and partnership-led growth, aligning internal teams and external partners around clear objectives to scale digital payments and strengthen the cashless payments ecosystem across Pakistan.
