Why so many transfers to Pakistan carry no fee
Pakistan has spent years paying banks to keep remittances free at both ends. Under the State Bank of Pakistan's telegraphic transfer charges scheme, as revised by EPD Circular Letter No. 04 of 2025, a home remittance of USD 200 or more qualified only if no institution in the chain, including the overseas money transfer operator, charged the sender or the recipient anything. Its operating instructions add two limits worth knowing: several transfers from the same sender to the same recipient on one day count as a single transaction, and only five free transactions a month are allowed through the same overseas partner.
The State Bank stopped reimbursing banks from 1 July 2026, but EPD Circular Letter No. 12 of 2026 requires banks to keep qualifying remittances free of cost for senders and beneficiaries at their own expense. A waived fee is not a free transfer, though. The provider still converts your pounds at a rate of its choosing, and the gap between that rate and the mid-market rate is the markup the table above measures for each service.
A prize draw for recipients
From October 2026 the banking industry runs the Pasban Remittance Reward Scheme, launched with the State Bank's backing on 25 September 2026. A recipient who receives the equivalent of USD 100 or more into a bank account in each of three consecutive months in a quarter gets entries into a quarterly draw, with more entries for larger amounts and a share of prizes set aside for remittances from the UK. The first draw is due on 15 January 2027, and banks may not charge anything to take part. Only money credited to a bank account counts.
Raast at the receiving end
Once the rupees reach a Pakistani account, Raast, the State Bank's instant payment system, lets the recipient move them on. The Raast person-to-person service works with an IBAN or with a Raast ID linked to a mobile number, and its partner list includes the microfinance banks behind easypaisa and JazzCash. The 2022 circular that launched it requires transfers to be free for customers and credited within 20 seconds.
Roshan Digital Account for your own money
Overseas Pakistanis holding a Pakistani passport, NICOP or POC can open a Roshan Digital Account from abroad, in foreign currency or rupees, for banking, payments and investment in Pakistan. Sending pounds into one is a different decision from paying a relative's rupee account, because the money stays yours and can stay in foreign currency.
Checking the UK firm
The FCA describes a money remitter as a type of authorised payment institution in its guide to using payment service providers. Before sending, search the firm's name on the Financial Services Register, and use the money transfer comparison to see what a quoted rate delivers.