Sending money from Canada to Pakistan: the payments stack
Sending CAD 200 from Canada to Pakistan cost 4.73% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 19 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Pakistan typically run over Raast, PRISM+ (RTGS); between now and the end of 2027 there are 10 weekdays when banks in Canada are closed but Pakistan keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 4.73% of CAD 200 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 4.73% across 19 services |
| Collect in Canada | Lynx, ACSS and USBE (EFT, pre-authorized debits, direct deposits), Interac e-Transfer for Business, Real-Time Rail (RTR) |
| Pay out in Pakistan | Raast, PRISM+ (RTGS) |
What it costs to send CAD 200
The World Bank surveyed 19 services sending from Canada to Pakistan from 18 August 2025 to 20 August 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 4.73% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 4.73%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: Canada
- Money services businesses operating in Canada, and foreign money services businesses that direct and provide services to clients in Canada, must register with FINTRAC before they begin to operate, even if they hold a provincial licence; FINTRAC charges no registration fee. source
- FINTRAC registration is valid for two years and must be renewed before expiry; changes such as a new representative for service in Canada must be reported within 30 days. source
- A foreign money services business must designate a representative for service who resides in Canada, and banks must confirm that a foreign money services business is registered with FINTRAC before opening an account for it. source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from Canada.
The payout side: Pakistan
| Payout partner | What it does in Pakistan | Source |
|---|---|---|
| dLocal · our guide | Payouts V3 pays out in Pakistan to bank accounts (bank code and IBAN) and, as instant payments, to mobile wallets including Easypaisa, JazzCash, NayaPay and SadaPay, for B2C, B2B and P2P flows. | source |
| TerraPay · our guide | Its network page lists Pakistan as a receive market with PKR payouts to both wallets and bank accounts. | source |
| Thunes · our guide | Its money transfer API supports PKR direct bank transfers to Pakistan over IBFT and RTGS. | source |
| Nium · our guide | Pays PKR to all banks in Pakistan in real time 24x7 for amounts up to PKR 1 million (same day above that, subject to a 16:00 local cut-off) and to JazzCash, Easypaisa and SadaPay wallets in real time, up to PKR 50,000 per wallet payout. | source |
| JazzCash | Mobile wallet that receives international remittances sent through exchange houses or partner apps directly into the JazzCash account, with funds typically credited instantly. | source |
| Easypaisa | Mobile wallet endpoint: funds from abroad reach easypaisa accounts through Bank Alfalah's international remittance partners. | source |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Pakistan: launching payments in Pakistan.
Payout rails in Pakistan
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raast | Raast Payments Pakistan (Private) Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the State Bank of Pakistan | Pakistan's instant payment system for low-value retail payments with instant settlement, open to commercial banks, microfinance banks, government entities and regulated fintechs (EMIs and PSPs) for always-on payment services. | source |
| PRISM+ (RTGS) | State Bank of Pakistan | Large-value real-time gross settlement system, upgraded to the ISO 20022 standard as PRISM+, which went live on 16 June 2025 and was formally launched on 19 August 2025; it settled 6.3 million transactions worth PKR 1,566 trillion in FY26. | source |
Holiday gaps to plan for, to December 2027
Weekdays when one side of the corridor is closed. On the 10 dates when Canada is closed and Pakistan is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 13 dates when Pakistan is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | Canada | Pakistan | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 9 Nov 2026 | Open | Allama Iqbal Day | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 11 Nov 2026 | Remembrance Day | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | Quaid-e-Azam Day / Christmas | Both closed |
| Mon 28 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day (observed) | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | Bank holiday (closed for public dealing) | Both closed |
| Fri 5 Feb 2027 | Open | Kashmir Solidarity Day | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 10 Mar 2027 | Open | Eid-ul-Fitr (day 1) | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 11 Mar 2027 | Open | Eid-ul-Fitr (day 2) | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 12 Mar 2027 | Open | Eid-ul-Fitr (day 3) | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 23 Mar 2027 | Open | Pakistan Day | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Good Friday | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Mon 17 May 2027 | Open | Eid-ul-Azha (day 1) | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 18 May 2027 | Open | Eid-ul-Azha (day 2) | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 19 May 2027 | Open | Eid-ul-Azha (day 3) | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 24 May 2027 | Victoria Day | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Fri 28 May 2027 | Open | Youm-e-Takbeer | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 14 Jun 2027 | Open | Ashura (9 Muharram) | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 15 Jun 2027 | Open | Ashura (10 Muharram) | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 1 Jul 2027 | Canada Day | Bank holiday (closed for public dealing) | Both closed |
| Mon 6 Sep 2027 | Labour Day | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Thu 30 Sep 2027 | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Mon 11 Oct 2027 | Thanksgiving | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Tue 9 Nov 2027 | Open | Allama Iqbal Day | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 11 Nov 2027 | Remembrance Day | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Mon 27 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day (observed) | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
| Tue 28 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day (observed) | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from Canada, payouts continue |
Full calendars: Canada and Pakistan. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- Lynx and the ACSS run Monday to Friday except statutory holidays. Remaining 2026 closures are Remembrance Day (Wednesday 11 November), Christmas Day (Friday 25 December) and Boxing Day, observed on Monday 28 December, so CAD wires sent after Lynx closes on Thursday 24 December next settle on Tuesday 29 December. source
- Lynx regular payments run in Settlement Window 1 from 12:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET; the window from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET is reserved for interbank lending and repaying Bank of Canada intraday loans. source
- Where the beneficiary banks elsewhere, the bank receiving a home remittance must pass the funds to the beneficiary's bank within 24 hours of receipt at most, and that bank credits the account instantly; pay orders and demand drafts go out within 24 hours and cash over the counter is available instantly. A late credit entitles the beneficiary to 65 paisa per thousand rupees for each day of delay. source
- SBP and the Pakistan Remittance Initiative run a dedicated 'PRI Channel' built on direct bilateral arrangements between domestic and international financial institutions, a pre-funding requirement, API system-to-system integration and Pakistan's national payment infrastructure; banks, microfinance banks, exchange companies and branchless banking wallets can receive home remittances. source
- PRISM+, Pakistan's RTGS, runs only within SBP-designated business-day periods and cut-offs, and Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays notified by SBP are ordinarily non-business days. Since 30 September 2025 SBP has required banks to send branch-initiated customer transfers through Raast OTC instead of RTGS, and Raast is built for always-on retail payments. source
Running the corridor
Polynopsis shows every balance on both sides of this corridor in one live position: the collection accounts in Canada, the payout partners and banks in Pakistan and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Pakistan balance runs dry, holidays included. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from Canada to Pakistan?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending CAD 200 at 4.73% in Q3 2025, across 19 services. Money transfer operators averaged 4.73%.
Which rails pay out in Pakistan?
Local payouts run over Raast, PRISM+ (RTGS).
When do I need to prefund Pakistan payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 10 weekdays when Canada is closed and Pakistan is open, the first on Wed 11 Nov 2026. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- System closure schedule (2026) · Payments Canada
- High-value payment system: Lynx · Payments Canada
- Public holidays in Pakistan 2026 revealed (Cabinet Division notification) · Daily Pakistan
- PSX notice PSX/N-89: holidays for 2026 · Pakistan Stock Exchange
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.