Taiwan vs Pakistan · Real-time payment systems compared
| Capability | FISC | Raast |
|---|---|---|
| QR Code Payments | ✓ | — |
| Wallet Support | — | — |
| 24/7 Availability | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cross-Border | ◐ | — |
| ISO 20022 | ◐ | ✓ |
| Request to Pay | — | — |
| Open API | ◐ | ◐ |
| Alias/Proxy | ◐ | ✓ |
Taiwan's shared interbank real-time rail, operated by FISC (Financial Information Service Co.). Carries both institutional flows and consumer traffic — real-time transfers in every Taiwanese bank's mobile app, any-bank ATM withdrawals, and TWQR merchant payments. TWQR is FISC's national interoperable QR-code standard (launched 2019), used by consumer wallets Line Pay Money, JKO Pay, iPass Money and Pi 拍錢包. Live 24/7 since 1991, connecting 107 institutions, handling TWD plus five foreign currencies (USD, RMB, JPY, EUR, AUD). Settles through the CBC's RTGS.
Pakistan's instant payment system launched by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) as part of its Digital Pakistan vision. Raast (meaning "direct path" in Urdu) enables 24/7 real-time transfers between banks and fintech providers via IBAN, mobile number (Raast ID), or CNIC (national ID). Designed with ISO 20022 messaging from the ground up, Raast supports P2P, P2M, and bulk/salary disbursements. With Pakistan's 220M+ population and only ~30% banked, Raast is a critical financial inclusion tool. It also includes a request-to-pay feature and plans for QR-based merchant payments.