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Two Pakistani startups have earned a spot on the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch 2025 list, which—now in its fifth year—highlights the region’s most promising startups and small businesses driving innovation across the Asia-Pacific. Forbes Asia Recognition highlights Haball and PostEx as high-growth companies that are changing finance and logistics in Pakistan. The listing follows last year’s recognition for NayaPay and builds on a wave of Pakistani founders who have gained regional acclaim.
Haball Profile
Haball is a Karachi-based B2B fintech founded in 2017 and led by Omer Bin Ahsan. The company offers Shariah-compliant supply chain finance, digital invoicing, tax compliance, and working capital solutions. Haball reports that it has processed more than 3 billion dollars in payments. In April, the firm closed a $52 million pre-series A package that combined equity led by Zayn VC with strategic financing from Meezan Bank. The new capital will help Haball scale product offerings and serve more enterprises.
PostEx Profile
PostEx launched in 2020 and is led by Muhammad Omer Khan. The company mixes logistics with fintech to support online sellers in a cash-heavy market. PostEx provides delivery services and upfront cash advances to merchants to smooth cash flow. The company grew by acquisition in 2022 and became Pakistan’s largest e-commerce delivery network. PostEx raised 7.3 million dollars last year to expand into the Middle East and to upgrade its merchant services.
Ecosystem Momentum
Forbes Asia Recognition adds to recent wins for Pakistan’s startup scene. In 2024, NayaPay was included in the Forbes Asia 100 To Watch list. Also, 7 Pakistanis made the list of Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia. 2 Pakistani businesswomen are separately listed on Forbes 100 Most Powerful Businesswomen in 2024. These honors show that investors and global media are watching Pakistan closely.
This year, 16 countries and territories made it to the Forbes list, with India topping the list with 18 companies, followed by Singapore and Japan with 14 companies respectively. China claimed the conquest of 9, Indonesia and South Korea collected 8, and Australia got 7.
The Forbes reported that the investor staging has a preference for fast-tracking sectors like biotechnology, spacetech, or green tech. The list includes companies developing cancer gene-editing treatments to advanced battery materials, and new propulsion systems to power spacecraft.
The Forbes Asia Recognition will raise visibility for Haball and PostEx among regional partners, customers, and capital providers. The listings certify the business models, which address a practical operational challenge, and which may grow cross-border. The recognition will mean that the Pakistani startup environments are competitive, and a home-grown solution can attract strategic investments. The effectiveness of moving the spotlight into the real market growth will be measured by their performance over the following year.
