Sending money from the UAE to Pakistan: the payments stack
Sending AED 735 from the UAE to Pakistan cost 2.17% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 17 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 5 weekdays when banks in the UAE are closed but Pakistan keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 2.17% of AED 735 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 1.67% across 14 services |
| Banks | 4.5% across 3 services |
| Collect in UAE | Aani, UAEFTS, IPI (Immediate Payment Instruction), UAEDDS (UAE Direct Debit System) |
| Pay out in Pakistan | Raast, PRISM+ (RTGS) |
What it costs to send AED 735
The World Bank surveyed 17 services sending from the UAE to Pakistan from 15 August 2025 to 22 August 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 2.17% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 1.67% and banks 4.5%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: the UAE
- Under the Exchange Business Regulation (Circular 7/2025, effective 26 June 2025) a Category I licence covers currency exchange, remittances and WPS salary processing, Category II covers currency exchange and remittances, Category III currency exchange only, and Category IV remittances through digital channels only, with no cash-in or cash-out and currency conversion only within the digital remittance. source
- Exchange businesses that are limited liability companies need minimum paid-up capital of AED 25 million and a bank guarantee to the CBUAE of AED 50 million for Categories I to III or AED 25 million for Category IV; a Category IV licensee must be a limited liability company, and the CBUAE can allow 100% non-UAE ownership for that category. source
- The Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes Regulation (Circular 15/2021) has four licence categories; cross-border fund transfer services are available under Category I and Category II, Category I adds payment token services, and Category IV covers payment initiation and account information services. source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from the UAE.
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 5 dates when the UAE is closed and Pakistan is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 10 dates when Pakistan is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | UAE | Pakistan | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 9 Nov 2026 | Open | Allama Iqbal Day | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 2 Dec 2026 | National Day (Eid Al Etihad) | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Thu 3 Dec 2026 | National Day (second day) | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Open | Quaid-e-Azam Day / Christmas | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| 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 |
| Tue 9 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr (Ramadan 30 or Eid day 1) | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Wed 10 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr | Eid-ul-Fitr (day 1) | Both closed |
| Thu 11 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr | Eid-ul-Fitr (day 2) | Both closed |
| Fri 12 Mar 2027 | Eid Al Fitr (only if Ramadan lasts 30 days) | Eid-ul-Fitr (day 3) | Both closed |
| Tue 23 Mar 2027 | Open | Pakistan Day | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 17 May 2027 | Eid Al Adha (day 2) | Eid-ul-Azha (day 1) | Both closed |
| Tue 18 May 2027 | Eid Al Adha (day 3) | Eid-ul-Azha (day 2) | Both closed |
| Wed 19 May 2027 | Open | Eid-ul-Azha (day 3) | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| 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 | Open | Bank holiday (closed for public dealing) | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 9 Nov 2027 | Open | Allama Iqbal Day | Pakistan banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 2 Dec 2027 | National Day (Eid Al Etihad) | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
| Fri 3 Dec 2027 | National Day (second day) | Open | Prefund Pakistan the day before: no funding from the UAE, payouts continue |
Full calendars: United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- First Abu Dhabi Bank moved its UAE offices to a Monday to Friday working week with a Saturday and Sunday weekend from 3 January 2022, following UAE Government and CBUAE guidelines, in line with the federal government's Saturday and Sunday weekend. source
- Islamic public holidays (Eid Al Fitr, Arafah Day, Eid Al Adha, Hijri New Year and the Prophet's birthday) are set by moon sighting, and under Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024 a public holiday is not moved when it falls on a weekend or another holiday; National Day is 2 and 3 December. 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 UAE, 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 the UAE to Pakistan?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending AED 735 at 2.17% in Q3 2025, across 17 services. Money transfer operators averaged 1.67%.
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 5 weekdays when the UAE is closed and Pakistan is open, the first on Wed 2 Dec 2026. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- Cabinet Resolution No. (27) of 2024 Concerning the Public Holidays in the State · UAE Legislation
- Public holidays · The Official Portal of the UAE Government
- 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.