SBP Pasban Remittance Reward: How Your Family Qualifies for the Prize Draw

Your family in Pakistan qualifies for the Pasban Remittance Reward Scheme if it receives at least USD 100 from abroad into a bank account in each of the three months of a quarter. There is nothing to apply for and nothing to pay. The first draw is on 15 January 2027 and covers money received from 1 October to 31 December 2026.

A father in Sialkot gets money from his son in Riyadh every month. Until now, that transfer earned nothing extra. In August 2026, remittances rose 16.5 per cent to USD 3.66 billion, so millions of families are in the same position. From 1 October 2026 it can earn draw entries, called tokens, in a prize pool of Rs 4 billion every quarter. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor, Jameel Ahmad, launched the scheme on 25 September 2026. Banks pay for it, not the government.

We read the scheme's full terms and its official page, run by 1LINK, the payment company that issues tokens and runs the draw. Not every bank is in it, so the account the money lands in matters.

Pasban is a free quarterly prize draw for families who receive remittances

Pasban rewards the person in Pakistan who receives money from abroad through a bank. Every qualifying transfer earns tokens. Four times a year, a computer draw picks 2,521 winning accounts. Prizes are paid in cash into the winning account.

The scheme is run by the Pakistan Banks Association (PBA) under SBP's patronage. A steering committee of the banks, PBA, 1LINK and SBP governs it. The terms say it started on 1 October 2026 and runs "till further instructions". You cannot buy, sell or transfer a token.

The terms say the Sohni Dharti Remittance Programme has ended. Its points do not carry over.

Three conditions decide whether your account qualifies

Your account qualifies when money from abroad is credited straight into it, each transfer counted is worth at least USD 100, and this happens in all three months of the quarter. Miss one month and that quarter's transfers earn nothing.

1. Use a participating bank. The money must land in a rupee account or wallet at one of the 22 banks on the scheme list.
2. Keep it in your own name. The account must belong to an individual. Joint accounts of individuals count. Company, firm and trust accounts do not.
3. Receive USD 100 or more each month. For October to December 2026, that means at least one transfer of USD 100 or more in October, November and December.
4. Let it go into the account. The transfer must be credited to the account, not paid out as cash over the counter.
5. Wait for your bank's message. Your bank tells you about your tokens by SMS, app, email or statement, the terms say.

Each account is judged on its own. If your mother has accounts at two banks, each is a separate entry, and USD 100 split across both in a month can leave neither one qualifying. One account, every month, is the simple way.

Bigger transfers earn more tokens, rounded to the nearest USD 100

A transfer of USD 100 to 149 earns one token, USD 150 to 249 earns two, and each further USD 100 adds one more. There is no upper limit. Anything below USD 100 earns nothing, even if it arrives every month.

Money sent in riyals, dirhams or pounds is converted to dollars at SBP's daily rate on the day it is processed. So a transfer just above USD 100 on paper can slip below it if the rupee moves. Sending a little over the line is safer.

Do not split money into many small transfers to collect tokens. The terms say such a pattern can be ruled ineligible and reported.

Some accounts and transfers are left out of Pasban

Cash collected over the counter, money sent to a Roshan Digital Account or any foreign currency account, and transfers into accounts at banks outside the scheme earn no tokens. Staff of banks, PBA, 1LINK and SBP cannot win.

The Roshan Digital Account exclusion will catch some families out, because many overseas Pakistanis use one. Pasban rewards rupee home remittances to family, not an overseas Pakistani's own savings.

When we read the official list on 2 October 2026, it named 22 banks: Allied Bank, Al Baraka, Askari, Bank Alfalah, Bank AL Habib, Bank Makramah, Bank of Punjab, BankIslami, Citibank, Dubai Islamic Bank, Easypaisa Digital Bank, Faysal Bank, Habib Metropolitan, JS Bank, Mashreq, MCB, Meezan, Samba, Sindh Bank, Soneri, Standard Chartered and Bank of Khyber. HBL, UBL and National Bank were not on it. Banks can join later.

If your family has no account at a listed bank, opening one is quick. An Asaan Digital Account can be opened from a phone with a CNIC. An account that has gone quiet needs to be reactivated first, because a dormant or blocked account cannot be paid a prize.

2,521 prizes worth Rs 4 billion are drawn every quarter

Each quarterly draw pays one prize of Rs 100 million, 20 of Rs 25 million, 100 of Rs 10 million and 2,400 of Rs 1 million. That is Rs 4 billion a quarter and Rs 16 billion a year. Prizes are cash only, credited to the winning account.

The top prize is open to everyone. The other three are split by the region the money came from, so a family receiving from Canada is not competing against the whole Gulf.

This split applies to the first two draws and may change later. An account can win only one prize per draw. Tokens expire after their own draw, so nothing carries into the next quarter.

The amounts are gross. The paying bank deducts income tax at source and gives you a certificate. The terms do not state the rate, so expect less than the headline figure.

Your bank tells you if you win, and nobody else will

Results are published on the scheme's official page on draw day, without names or account numbers. The winner's own bank then contacts them, checks the CNIC or NICOP and the transfer, and credits the prize after tax.

The draws are held on the 15th of the month after each quarter, or the next working day in Karachi. The first is 15 January 2027.

Scammers will use this scheme. The terms are blunt: you will never be asked to pay to enter, claim or release a prize, and there are no cars or gifts. A call or WhatsApp asking for a "release fee" or your OTP is fraud, and you can report the fake call or SMS.

If a token is missing or a prize is not paid, complain to your own bank first, with the account number and the transfer reference. The bank can escalate to PBA. You can still take a complaint about your bank to SBP or the Banking Mohtasib. When we read the terms, the clause on SBP contact details still carried an unfinished drafting note, so the SBP route was not spelled out there.

Common questions

Do we need to register for the Pasban scheme?

No. Entry is automatic. 1LINK creates tokens from the remittance data your bank already reports. You can opt out by telling your bank.

Can the person sending money from abroad win?

No. Only the person receiving the money in Pakistan takes part. The terms say the sender has no right to any token or prize.

Does a transfer through an exchange company count?

Yes, if it is credited directly to an eligible account at a participating bank. The terms accept banks, exchange companies and licensed money transfer operators. Cash pickup does not count.

When is the first Pasban draw?

15 January 2027. It covers transfers received from 1 October to 31 December 2026.

Does it cost anything to take part?

No. No fee, no ticket, no deposit and no minimum balance. Anyone asking for money to enter or release a prize is not from the scheme.

What happens if a winner has died?

The prize goes to the legal heirs under the bank's process for deceased customers. A succession certificate may be needed.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We checked this on 2 October 2026. We read the Pasban Remittances Rewards Initiative terms and conditions in full, the official Pasban scheme page and its list of participating banks, and SBP's launch press release of 25 September 2026. The terms and conditions prevail over any advert or social media post, and the steering committee can change prizes, slabs and the draw timetable for future quarters. Workers' remittances reached a record USD 41.6 billion in FY26, SBP's Governor said at the launch.