Islamabad, May 2 – In a significant step toward transforming Pakistan’s informal retail sector, Karandaaz Pakistan has announced a strategic partnership with Vizpro, a technology-driven fintech company revolutionizing the “Middle Mile” of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) supply chain. This collaboration aims to digitize retail payments and strengthen access to finance for thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of Pakistan’s financial inclusion landscape.
Karandaaz Pakistan, an impact investment platform focused on promoting inclusive economic growth, is leveraging its resources and expertise to address long-standing inefficiencies in cash-heavy FMCG transactions. Partnering with Vizpro, the initiative seeks to reduce cash dependency, build digital financial identities for small retailers, and enable access to integrated credit and payment solutions.
“This initiative is a bold step towards formalizing Pakistan’s vast informal retail sector by enabling small retailers to build digital financial identities,” said Waqas ul Hasan, CEO of Karandaaz. “By adopting an all-digital approach, the project aims to demonstrate the efficiency and scalability of servicing micro and small enterprises – setting a precedent for ecosystem-wide innovation in inclusive finance.”
Vizpro’s flagship platform, Vizlink, has already shown substantial impact in the region. With over 13,000 merchants onboarded in Lahore and more than PKR 5 billion in digitized merchant-to-distributor (M2D) payments, the platform has emerged as a key player in reshaping the FMCG trade model. Vizpro also maintains partnerships with top digital financial service providers such as Easypaisa and JazzCash, and recently teamed up with CreditBook to offer merchant financing.
Several major FMCG players, including Pakistan Tobacco Company, are working with Vizpro to digitize trade and sales operations—demonstrating strong market validation for the model. Now, with Karandaaz’s support, Vizpro is poised to expand to an additional 16,000 FMCG retailers across Tier 2 cities in Punjab and in Karachi.
The Vizlink platform offers a comprehensive, bundled service ecosystem. Retailers can place inventory orders, make digital payments to distributors, and access short-term working capital, all through one seamless digital interface. The integration of Raast QR into the platform further enhances functionality, enabling merchants to accept real-time digital payments from customers—a move that is expected to accelerate Pakistan’s shift toward a cash-lite economy.
Akbar Ayub Khan, CEO and Co-Founder of Vizpro, commented, “We started by solving the cash management problem between retailers and distributors, and ended up creating a complete supply chain solution with digital payments, merchant finance, and a robust communications platform. Our partnership with Karandaaz has been transformative and will inspire wider adoption of digital tools and attract further investment into the sector.”
Sharjeel Murtaza, Chief Digital Officer at Karandaaz, echoed the sentiment, stating, “With this partnership, we are scaling a successful pilot to digitize M2D payments across major cities. More importantly, we’re demonstrating how fintech innovation can address the working capital gap for small merchants – bringing order management, payments, and financing onto a single platform.”
This partnership signals more than a technical collaboration—it serves as a bold example of how local fintech innovation, supported by impact-driven capital, can formalize economic activity and deliver sustainable, scalable solutions to challenges faced by Pakistan’s retail and SME sectors. By digitizing core elements of the supply chain and improving access to credit, the initiative holds the potential to trigger widespread transformation across Pakistan’s informal economy.