CEMAC (regional) vs Pakistan · Real-time payment systems compared
| Capability | GIMACPay | Raast |
|---|---|---|
| QR Code Payments | ◐ | — |
| Wallet Support | ✓ | — |
| 24/7 Availability | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cross-Border | ✓ | — |
| ISO 20022 | — | ✓ |
| Request to Pay | — | — |
| Open API | ◐ | ◐ |
| Alias/Proxy | ✓ | ✓ |
CEMAC region's interbank interoperable retail payment platform, operated by GIMAC (Groupement Interbancaire Monétique de l'Afrique Centrale) under BEAC regulatory oversight. Covers six Central African countries (Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea) with a shared XAF rail. Connects banks, microfinance institutions, mobile money operators, payment institutions, public treasuries and fintech aggregators, supporting person-to-person, wallet-to-bank and card-to-wallet transfers across all six countries. Mobile money now accounts for roughly three-quarters of transaction volume.
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.