Samba Bank Limited has joined hands with 1LINK to enable 1GO Raast Person-to-Merchant (P2M) payments, marking another significant development in Pakistan’s rapid shift toward a fully digital and interoperable payments landscape. The collaboration aims to support businesses, retailers, and service providers by offering them seamless access to Raast’s instant payment infrastructure, enabling faster, secure, and low-cost digital transactions for merchants and consumers alike.
The partnership aligns with the national agenda to promote cashless transactions and expand the adoption of Raast, Pakistan’s instant payment system launched by the State Bank of Pakistan. Through this integration, Samba Bank customers and merchant partners will be able to receive real-time payments via the 1GO platform, which serves as one of the key merchant acceptance channels within the country’s digital payment ecosystem.
The introduction of Raast P2M payments through Samba Bank and 1LINK’s collaborative framework is expected to drive substantial efficiencies for both small and large businesses. Merchants will benefit from instant settlement, reduced processing costs, enhanced operational visibility, and improved reconciliation, while consumers will gain access to a fast, convenient, and secure digital payment method without relying on cash or conventional card-based transactions.
Industry experts highlight that the rollout of Raast P2M via the 1GO platform is an important step in accelerating Pakistan’s digital transformation, as merchant acceptance continues to be one of the critical components required for scaling digital financial services. By enabling interoperable payments, the solution removes traditional barriers that previously prevented small merchants from adopting electronic payment systems due to high fees or complex onboarding processes.
Samba Bank’s participation in this ecosystem reflects its commitment to expanding value-added digital banking services and supporting the evolution of Pakistan’s financial infrastructure. The bank aims to leverage 1LINK’s secure, interoperable payment rails to offer enhanced convenience to customers while empowering merchants to embrace digital commerce. This collaboration further strengthens Samba Bank’s positioning within the digital payments landscape, aligning it with emerging fintech models and technological advancements.
For 1LINK, the integration of Samba Bank into the expanding Raast P2M framework is part of its broader mission to modernize Pakistan’s payment infrastructure and encourage nationwide adoption of instant, frictionless payments. By enabling merchant payments through 1GO, 1LINK continues to build a connected ecosystem where banks, fintechs, merchants, and consumers can interact through standardized, highly secure digital rails.
The Raast initiative has already gained momentum across multiple sectors, from peer-to-peer transfers to government payments, and is now increasingly being adopted by private sector participants. Expanding P2M acceptance is expected to significantly boost digital commerce, reduce the informal cash economy, and promote greater financial inclusion across underserved communities.
Through the partnership between Samba Bank and 1LINK, both organizations reaffirm their commitment to driving digital innovation, enhancing merchant acceptance infrastructure, and strengthening Pakistan’s instant payments ecosystem. The activation of 1GO Raast P2M services stands as a major milestone in empowering merchants with reliable digital tools and laying the groundwork for a more connected and transparent financial environment.
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