Alibaba Pakistan Partnership to Drive Exports Through Digital Payments

KARACHI: In a strategic move to expand Pakistan’s presence in global markets, the government is set to formalize an Alibaba Pakistan partnership next week. This collaboration with the Chinese e-commerce giant will focus on enhancing Pakistan’s digital supply chain ecosystem and leveraging secure, real-time payment solutions like Raast to streamline cross-border trade.

Speaking at the 18th International Conference on Mobile Commerce 2025, Faiz Ahmad, Chief Executive of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), said:

“We are partnering with Alibaba in the coming week to completely transform how Pakistani products are discovered, sold, and shipped worldwide. Alibaba is one of the two largest global e-commerce platforms alongside Amazon.”

Ahmad explained that the vision is to create a single, unified digital supply chain framework, supported by instant and secure payment solutions such as Raast, operated by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Illustrating this, he noted how a small business in Skardu could receive a large order through Alibaba, get paid instantly into its mobile wallet via Raast, and use the same wallet to pay suppliers in Karachi, all without relying on cash or traditional banking.

“That is the power of digital commerce. This is not theoretical; it is actionable. This is the future we are building with your support,” he said.

The Alibaba Pakistan partnership is being driven by the TDAP and the Ministry of Commerce as a top priority, described by Ahmad as not just policy but a “national imperative.”

During the conference, Faisal Mahmood, Head of Digital Public Infrastructure at Karandaaz Pakistan, raised concerns about whether the SBP has enough resources, such as funding and technical support, to effectively run pilot projects under its recently launched sandbox framework. The guidelines for this sandbox were introduced in May 2025, with plans to allow banks, fintechs, and startups to test new digital solutions under relaxed regulatory oversight.

Ali Imran Khan, Deputy CIO at Meezan Bank, highlighted that open banking is the next frontier in financial services, enabling banks to share customer data with third parties to build tailored financial products, always with customer consent. Meanwhile, Muhammad Hamayun Sajjad, CEO of Mashreq Pakistan, noted that cash remains dominant but digitalisation is now critical for future growth.

The one-day event featured four key panel discussions on regulatory sandboxes, open banking, payment and lending technologies in e-commerce, and the role of digital wallets in Pakistan’s evolving financial landscape.