Has PayPal Finally Arrived in Pakistan? [Answered]

Pakistan’s freelancing industry has been waiting eagerly for the arrival of PayPal, the popular online payment system that enables seamless international transactions. For years, the question of whether PayPal would set foot in Pakistan has been a topic of intense speculation, debate, and even frustration among many in the country’s burgeoning digital economy.

Has PayPal Finally Arrived in Pakistan?

Without discussing the rumors, let me answer your question first. As of now, PayPal is not available in Pakistan. This has been a significant challenge for Pakistani freelancers and businesses that provide IT services to foreign clients. Without PayPal, they face difficulties in receiving payments from international clients, limiting their growth and potential. However, the good news is that the Pakistani government is actively pursuing partnerships with PayPal and other payment gateways to address this issue.

Government Discussion With PayPal and Stripe

The Pakistani government, led by caretaker Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Dr. Umar Saif, is in talks with PayPal and Stripe to facilitate the transfer of funds for IT professionals and freelancers in Pakistan. Dr. Saif has expressed his determination to bring PayPal and Stripe to Pakistan. Back in August, he wrote:

Our roadmap for online freelancers in Pakistan:

1. Bring PayPal and Stripe
2. Treat online freelancing at the same tax rate as IT industry: 0.25%
3. Create co-working spaces for 500,000 freelancers in Pakistan.

I believe our online freelancers can earn up to $2.5 Billion…

— Umar Saif (@umarsaif) August 31, 2023

Rumors Regarding Paypal is coming to Pakistan

Recently someone started a rumor on social media that Paypal has finally arrived in Pakistan and the justification they provided is when you open Paypal.com it redirects you to https://www.paypal.com/pk/home. So, let me clear this it does redirect you to this page. However, when you scroll down you won’t see the Pakistan flag you will see the American flag.

As you can see in the picture a USA flag shows up but when you open the UAE page, the flag of UAE shows up as shown in below.

Moreover, I have been using Paypal of a friend for over a year now. Whenever I opened Paypal.com it redirected me to https://www.paypal.com/pk/home. So, this does not prove that Paypal has arrived in Pakistan. As a matter of fact, it does not prove anything at all.

Paypal Expected Launch Date in Pakistan

The exact launch date of PayPal in Pakistan remains uncertain. We tried reaching out to Paypal to discuss this matter and if they are coming to Pakistan in the coming days but all we got, for now, is “Paypal is not available in Pakistan“. The Pakistani government is working to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to facilitate the smooth operation of PayPal within the country.

The arrival of PayPal in Pakistan would be a game-changer for the country’s freelancing industry. With over a million freelancers, Pakistan is the world’s second-largest online workforce. Once PayPal becomes accessible, freelancers will be able to connect their bank accounts and receive payments directly into their bank accounts, opening up new opportunities and expanding their reach in the global market.

Final Words

PayPal is used all over the world, and Pakistan has a great opportunity to become a top spot for freelancers and IT services. We’re all hoping that PayPal will be a part of Pakistan’s digital future very soon.