Pakistani freelancers will soon be able to open WISE accounts to receive payments directly from international clients, with the service expected to launch in Pakistan within four to six weeks, Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Faisal Jeddy said.
The PSEB CEO said the WISE Account will initially serve as a payment-receiving channel, allowing freelancers to provide clients abroad with account details through which international payments can be transferred and then routed into Pakistan.
Faisal Jeddy further added that this marks the first phase of the rollout of WISE accounts in the country, with discussions on the platform’s broader multi-currency functions to follow.
According to Jeddy, the global model of WISE allows account holders to send and receive payments across multiple countries, but current State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) regulations only partially support this structure.
He said PSEB held talks with WISE representatives in the Philippines and met with the State Bank, alongside the federal finance minister, to work out a framework enabling Pakistani freelancers to use WISE Accounts for inbound payments.
Jeddy said PSEB is separately in discussions with PayPal over a potential entry into Pakistan, describing those talks as more difficult. He said PayPal has been reluctant to operate through a government agency and that PSEB is exploring alternative ways to engage the company.
The WISE Account initiative forms part of PSEB’s broader effort to widen digital payment access for Pakistan’s freelance and IT export community, which has long identified limited payment gateway options as a constraint on earnings.
