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UPDATE (April 12, 2021): Remittances remained over $2 billion for 10 straight months despite the Covid-19 pandemic, breaking all records, according to the latest tweet by Prime Minister Imran Khan. The premier, while thanking overseas Pakistanis for their “unparalleled love and commitment,” added cash inflows rose to $2.7 billion in March, which was 43% higher than last year.
Remittances by overseas Pakistanis are on the rise and have shown a persistent upward trend for about a year. Cash inflows remained above $2 billion for the eighth consecutive month in January 2021. During the first half of the fiscal year 2020-2021, total inflows were recorded at $14.2 billion. This was a 25 percent increase compared with last fiscal year’s $11.37 billion received in July-December 2019. The continuous rise has been welcomed by the government as a positive development. If you are an overseas Pakistani looking to send money back home, then these are the best banks for you.
Best Banks For Overseas Pakistanis
Looking for a bank with a good user interface to send remittance? Worried about security? Don’t want to deal with unnecessary delays and incompetent customer service? Wondering which Pakistani bank is best for international transactions? Googling “best bank account for overseas Pakistanis” for the umpteenth time? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Check out our list of the best banks for overseas Pakistanis and make an informed decision.
Allied Bank
This is one of the leading banks of Pakistan in terms of their wide variety of services, and the high quality of each. They have a dedicated portal for remittances, and on top of that, the bank will charge no additional fees, or deduct money from the total amount.
Allied Bank’s Allied Express service is a state-of-the-art remittance processing service that ensures the instant and secure transfer of funds to nearly every corner of Pakistan, at zero cost. Key points for this service are:
- No charges applied to Remitters or Beneficiaries
- No hidden charges
- No deductions from your remitted amounts
- Extremely competitive exchange rates
Your loved ones can collect the remittance amount in cash from any Allied Bank branch, or you can send it to a bank account with any bank in Pakistan. Just like an online banking portal, with Allied Express, you can check the status of your remittance by entering your Unique Remittance Reference Number in the Remittance Tracker and find out the updated status of your transaction.
Standard Chartered
Offering client-friendly services to overseas Pakistanis for decades, Standard Chartered is the country’s oldest foreign-owned bank and the most reputed when it comes to money transfers. It allows for quick money transfers within Standard Chartered banks, and outside of it.
This bank also offers a unique opportunity to transfer money in an expanded range of currencies, as funds can be transferred to Standard Chartered Bank accounts in over 19 markets, worldwide. Its Global Link offers managing accounts across the world simply. You can instantly review your balances, transfer funds between accounts, view all your past transaction history, and more. The money transfer online is instantaneous and transparent. You just need to follow these easy steps:
- Select the ‘Bank Transfer’ service in the box at the top of page and click ‘Continue’
- Enter the transfer amount and you’ll see our low fee and guaranteed exchange rate upfront
- Sign in or create an account if you don’t already have one
- Add the details of a new recipient or select someone you’ve sent to before
- Pay for the transfer online
You and your recipient will receive SMS and email notifications when the funds are credited (which usually takes two working days).
Faysal Bank
Faysal Bank Ltd is at the forefront in providing the best customer-friendly banking solutions tailored to the ever-changing requirements of customers. The Bank has a sophisticated portal to manage home remittances. The bank allows its account holders to receive remittances from all banks globally. Payments can be received via the following payment modes:
- Cash-over-Counter payments for walk-in customers at Faysal Bank branches
- Instant Account Credit to Faysal Bank Ltd account holders
- Instant Account Credit to 1Link member bank account holders through IBFT
- Same Day Account Credit to other bank account holders via PRISM / RTGS
You can find details of the Faysal Bank partners on the bank’s website.
JS Bank
You can easily make your Home Remittance Account on JS Bank online, and use the same portal to track the status of your money transfer. For your family, JS Bank has launched a Home Remittance Account (HRA) which can be registered on any mobile number. The HRA can receives money from anywhere in the world and can be used to further manage, receive and transfer HRA funds. For registration, you have to follow this process:
- Go to your nearest JCash agent or use your JS Wallet application to open an HRA
account - Provide your credentials and get your biometric verification done at any JCash agent
location - Account will be opened within seconds after successful verification.
After setting up your family HRA account, you can send money free of any charges.
However, these Terms and Conditions have to be accepted by the holders:
- Only valid CNIC holders can open an HRA account.
- Credit in Home Remittance Account shall only be through foreign remittance.
- Outward remittance not allowed.
- One account permitted against each CNIC.
Now that we have enlisted the best banks for overseas Pakistanis, let’s look at the required documents so you can proceed with your money transfers without any delay.
Best Banks For Overseas Pakistanis: Essential Documents For Remitting Funds
You need a number of documents to send money to your family. While the above banks are offering instant services to account holders, as a remitter, you might need to provide certain proofs in order to make transactions back home (in this case, a foreign country). But you need not worry as you’ll probably have the following documents with you at all times:
- Copy of Your NICOP/POC or that of your CNIC/SNIC
- Valid and non-expired passport
- Proof of address
- Proof of nationality
- Proof of income
- Proof of employment
- Supporting documents for the origin of the initial bank deposit
As of February 2021, around 10 million Pakistanis are currently living abroad with 1.5 million living in the United Arab Emirates. To facilitate foreign remittances, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has introduced a key initiative, Roshan Digital Accounts of which eight commercial banks are a part. What is unique about this initiative is that this is the first time overseas Pakistanis will be able to open an online bank account. These accounts have been introduced to facilitate foreign direct investment in the country, but can also be used for account opening, operation, and making payments, with no requirements of visiting a physical bank branch or submitting hard copies of documents for opening an account. If you want more information, don’t forget to read our blog on FAQs about Roshan Digital Accounts.
If you are an overseas Pakistani who is remitting money to Pakistan, tell us your experience by writing to us at blog@zameen.com. You should also check out our guide to transferring money online to Pakistan. For more information, keep checking Zameen Blog, the best real estate blog in Pakistan.
