Karandaaz Pakistan and National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) have partnered to launch a nationwide initiative for the promotion of digital financial inclusion by implementing a robust Application Programming Interface (API) on Apigee. Apigee is a leading API platform owned by Google.
The implementation of Apigee is provided by Abacus Consulting that is the sole provider of Apigee services in Pakistan. This development will help the largest government owned bank to digitize its transactions end to end primarily Government to Person (G2P) and Person to Government (P2G) transactions. The platform will also enable NBP to collaborate with its various existing and potential partners such as government entities, micro-financial services (MFS) players, telecom companies, financial networks, and FinTechs.
Saeed Ahmad, CEO & President, National Bank of Pakistan said, “NBP as a national institution believes that its primary responsibility is not only to derive the market towards the financial eco-system but also act as a catalyst in enabling other players to embrace the digital age. Launch of Open API Platform by NBP is a strategic milestone in this direction and sharing its digital assets with strategic partners & fintechs, NBP will accelerate the pace of digitizing the economy and transfer the benefits of the same to the masses.”
CEO Karandaaz, Ali Sarfraz, while discussing the development said, “This partnership between Karandaaz and NBP will play a profound role in catalyzing the process of financial inclusion in Pakistan by bringing technology to the table. We are confident that with this technology, NBP will be a front-runner in this drive to change the way the banks interact with their clientele in the country. Karandaaz is excited to be part of this initiative that will affect the lives of over 200 million Pakistanis.”
Rehan Akhtar, Director Karandaaz Digital said, “By the disbursement of payments to the account-holders through digital channels such as mobile wallets and over-the-counter (OTCs), banks can reduce costs and expand delivery of financial products and services to the masses. Developments such as this at NBP will certainly enable the country to develop an agile, digitally-empowered financial ecosystem.”
Mudassir H. Khan, SEVP / Group Chief – Payment Services & Digital Banking Group, National Bank of Pakistan said, “With the launch of Open API Gateway, NBP has achieved another strategic milestone towards the digitization. Being the only bank with strategic partnership with all major Mobile Money Players in Pakistan, primarily NBP will digitize the government transactions through internal & external channels and secondly, NBP will speed up the market disruption by introducing transactions for millennials like digital account opening, digital credit, digital channel for inward remittances etc.
