Overseas Pakistanis Have Sent $1.6 Billion Through RDAs

Overseas Pakistanis have remitted approximately $1.6 billion through Roshan digital accounts (RDAs) in less than one year, according to the State Bank of Pakistan. Since its launch by the Prime Minister of Pakistan on 10 September 2020, the RDAs have gained a significant amount of interest among overseas Pakistanis. According to the new web page released today, 181,556 accounts have been opened from 171 countries, and $1.562 billion had been deposited in them by the end of June 2021. The webpage also shows monthly trends in the number of accounts opened, deposits, and investments in Naya Pakistan Certificates (NPCs) and the stock market. The data shows an accelerating trend across all these dimensions over the last few months. June had the highest monthly amount of deposits ($310 million) and NPC investments ($233 million) since the launch of the RDAs. By the end of June, $1050 million had been invested in the NPCs, with $621 million in conventional NPCs and $429 million in Islamic NPCs. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has launched a webpage for the progress of the Roshan Digital Accounts (RDA). ALSO READ SECP Approves Amendments to NCCPL Regulations Based on individual reports of banks that participate in RDAs, the data has been consolidated and made available to the public through a new web page: https://www.sbp.org.pk/RDA/Progress.html. This web page will be updated on a monthly basis. The RDAs are a landmark initiative of the State Bank that functions to seamlessly connect the Pakistani diaspora to the Pakistani financial system and economy. It has allowed overseas Pakistanis to open bank accounts in Pakistan in a completely digital manner for the first time while eliminating the requirement to visit a bank branch or an embassy. ALSO READ SECP to Launch RDA-type Accounts for Resident Pakistanis The RDAs enable overseas Pakistanis to undertake all kinds of banking transactions in Pakistan, including the paying of school and utility bills of their families, the transfer of funds, e-commerce, car financing through Roshan Apni Car, and making charitable donations through Roshan Samaaji Khidmat. They simultaneously provide exclusive investment opportunities in Naya Pakistan certificates while offering attractive returns in both conventional and Shariah-compliant forms, as well as in the Pakistani stock market and real estate. The tax treatment is simple and exempts overseas Pakistanis from filing a tax return in Pakistan on the income derived from investments through the account. Importantly, the account is fully repatriable, giving overseas Pakistanis the comfort of being able to conveniently remit the money in their accounts to where they live.