Pasban prizes: what a remittance entry is worth

Key takeaways

• The Pasban scheme gives 2,521 cash prizes worth Rs4 billion each quarter, paid for by banks rather than the government.
• A family earns one entry for each $100 received into a bank account, if money arrives in each of three straight months.
• The first quarter runs from 1 October to 31 December 2026, with the draw on 15 January 2027.
• If every remitted dollar qualified, an entry would be worth about Rs37 on average. Fewer qualifying dollars means more per entry.

What the scheme is

The State Bank's governor launched the Pasban Remittance Reward Scheme on 25 September. According to the State Bank's press release, it was set up by the banking industry through the Pakistan Banks Association, and is "funded entirely by the banking industry" with no cost to the government. Its aim is to keep overseas Pakistanis sending money through banks.

The prizes are large. Each quarter there is one first prize of Rs100 million, 20 prizes of Rs25 million, 100 of Rs10 million and 2,400 of Rs1 million: 2,521 prizes, Rs4 billion in all, or Rs16 billion a year.

Prizes are shared out by where the money comes from: 50% to remittances from the Gulf, 15% each to the UK and Europe, 10% to North America and 10% to everywhere else. The first prize is open to all regions.

How entries work

The entries go to the person receiving the money in Pakistan, not the sender. To qualify in a quarter, a family must receive at least $100 into a bank account in each of the three months. The release gives two worked examples:

• $100 in each of October, November and December earns three entries.
• $100 in October, $200 in November and $300 in December earns one, two and three entries, or six for the quarter.

Entry is free. The release says no bank may charge a fee or require a ticket purchase or minimum balance. Results will be published on the scheme's page at 1link.net.pk/pasbanrewards and by banks.

The first draw, on 15 January 2027, covers money received from 1 October to 31 December 2026. (The release calls this the second quarter of FY26; October to December 2026 falls in FY27.)

What an entry is worth

The release does not say how many entries it expects, but the inflow figures set a floor. The Ministry of Finance's September economic update puts remittances at $7.29 billion for July and August. At that pace, about $10.9 billion would arrive in a quarter.

Even if every one of those dollars earned an entry, there could be no more than about 109 million $100 entries. Rs4 billion shared across that many is about Rs37 each, roughly 0.13% of the $100. That is the lowest the average can be. Money from families who miss a month, or who receive less than $100, does not count, so the real number of entries will be lower and the average value of each one higher. The average will also differ by region, because each region's share of prizes is fixed but its share of remittances is not.

An average is not what most families will get. Of more than 10,000 winners a year, most win Rs1 million. Most entries win nothing.

Where this fits

In July the State Bank stopped paying for the Telegraphic Transfer Charges Incentive Scheme, which reimbursed banks for keeping remittances free. We wrote then that banks might absorb the cost quietly. The bankers' association has now put a number on it. Its chairman said banks had taken over "the Rs. 80 billion remitter incentive", and its chief executive said Pasban brings the industry's annual commitment to "close to Rs. 100 billion".

Remittances have held up so far: $7.29 billion in July and August was up 14.7% on a year earlier. The scheme competes with routes that offer no prize at all. Over the same period, USDT on P2P markets has traded above the official rate every day we have measured. On 4 October the gap was 2.61%, as tracked on our USDT rate page. That route carries no prize and no regulated protection: no P2P platform holds a PVARA licence.

What this means for Pakistani users

• If your family receives money through a bank, you may already qualify. The release describes no charge and no ticket to buy. The money must arrive in a bank account in each of the three months, at least $100 a month.
• Check the account, not the sender. Entries go to the receiving account. Ask your bank which account and transactions it counts.
• Treat the prize as a bonus, not a reason. On average an entry is worth at least Rs37 per $100, and most entries win nothing. Choose a route by its rate, fees and safety.
• Watch for fake "Pasban" messages. The scheme is free. Anyone asking for a fee, a PIN or a "registration charge" to enter is not the scheme. Check results only on the official page or your bank's own channels.

What we're watching

• The State Bank's September remittance figure, due by 9 October, and the first full quarter under Pasban.
• Whether banks publish how many families qualify, which would show what an entry is really worth.
• The first draw on 15 January 2027.

Sources

• State Bank of Pakistan, "Governor SBP unveils market-based, sustainable Pasban Remittance Reward Scheme with Rs16 billion in annual prizes", press release, 25 September 2026.
• Ministry of Finance, Monthly Economic Update & Outlook, September 2026.
• 1LINK, Pasban Rewards, the scheme's results page.
• CryptoPakistan, Pakistan's $41.6bn remittance subsidy just ended, 6 August 2026.
• CryptoPakistan P2P series, USDT rate in Pakistan, daily reading for 4 October 2026.