Pakistan vs Japan · Real-time payment systems compared
| Capability | Raast | Zengin |
|---|---|---|
| QR Code Payments | — | — |
| Wallet Support | — | — |
| 24/7 Availability | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cross-Border | — | — |
| ISO 20022 | ✓ | — |
| Request to Pay | — | — |
| Open API | ◐ | — |
| Alias/Proxy | ✓ | — |
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.
Japan's domestic interbank clearing network, one of the oldest electronic payment systems in the world, connecting over 1,000 banks and financial institutions. Originally a batch-processing system, Zengin was upgraded to 24/7 real-time operations in 2018 via the "More Time System" extension. Operated by the Japanese Bankers Association with settlement through the BOJ, it handles the vast majority of Japan's domestic credit transfers. Note: data includes all Zengin transactions (both real-time and batch-processed), as the system does not separately report its 24/7 instant component.