SadaPay! The Uplifting Future of Digital Banking & FinTech Innovation in Pakistan

On the 25th of September 2018, I met a banker at Habtoor Grand Autograph Collection in Dubai, and I was told about a digital-only bank coming up in Pakistan. I was curious to know whether Pakistan has a market for a digital-only bank. Yes, I am aware of the typical jazz that I hear from the world of Fintech such as financial inclusion, access to finance, digital inclusion, mobile payments, and many more. 

Come to think of it, Pakistan has a market that is purely digital-focused. It has a modern society that is tech-friendly, even the common person understand how to operate a smartphone, and let’s not forget many overseas Pakistanis have either repatriated to the country owing to COVID-19 or otherwise have chosen Pakistan for a better lifestyle.

Having said that, the customer’s behaviors have evolved with time. I represent a segment that prefers the digital-first model to any other model.

Born and brought up in Dubai, I have become accustomed to the evolving trends in the UAE and have the habit to embrace change with time.

While I am a very loyal customer of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, I’ve been banking with them for close to 14 years and I am happy with their service, I was tempted to open another bank account in Dubai and I accidentally tried out Liv. by Emirates NBD. 

December 23’ 2019, at 21:45 GST, I downloaded the app just to try it out, and I was blown away by the fact I opened a bank account from my bedroom in roughly 5 minutes with my Emirates ID, a selfie, and an internet connection. December 25’ 2019 I received my debit card via Fetchr at 12:00 pm that day and since then I’ve been loving digital transformation. In a nutshell, I was in all aww of the experience and I’m liking the app’s upgrades. You feel like you’re on a social networking application, which is cool, instead of a regular boring banking app.

It was at that moment I remembered Pakistan coming up with a digital-only bank and I was like, “You know what, I got to try this Pakistani bank.” I was reading about them in 2019 and followed them on other social media channels. I was happy to learn that this gentleman I met in Dubai in 2018 is now part of their leadership. I waited for their product launch, and I was hoping they will in 2020. Well, COVID-19 had other plans, but that didn’t stop them. Hats off to their leadership. They were quite active in the market, especially across social media. The State Bank of Pakistan approved their banking license and that’s when I would hear voices of Michael Buffer the well-known American ring announcer saying, “RRRRRRR Let’s Get Ready to RUMBLLLLLLLLE!!”

I downloaded their app, and I thought I was late. I ended up being somewhere on their waitlist, number 150000 something. But, out of nowhere on the 31st December 2020, I received a WhatsApp message at 12:25 pm PST by this gentleman from their leadership saying “We’re finally on-boarding Friends and Family on SadaPay. Would love to have you on-board as one of the 1st users.” I replied 3 minutes on a voice note that I’m happy to join, and I provided my details to be part of their founder customers to experience the Pilot test.

SadaPay is yet to be open to mass customers, which eventually will happen but most important they WON me as their customer with this line, “We’re finally on-boarding Friends and Family on SadaPay.” These little things matter and I look forward to their success.

On January 12’ 2021, I was at their Lahore office at COLABS for the Pilot-test and it was amazing, their user interface is friendly to the eyes, their virtual debit card is a fascinating add-on to the physical card, which I will receive soon.

I opened the account in roughly 2 minutes with ZERO signatures, that’s right, ZERO signatures in a bank from Pakistan, and with the help of my NICOP / National ID Card. The user experience is one of a kind, and in my view, they’ve taken all other banking apps to the cleaners. They are uplifting banking in Pakistan by providing the end-user a transformed lifestyle of financial wellbeing. The app will grow with time, and its name will pick up in the market.

Brandon Timinsky and Omer Salimullah, you and your team ROCK. I’m looking forward to what will be a spectacular Fintech journey coming from Pakistan.