What 1LINK Does in Pakistan: ATM Network, IBFT Transfers and Who Fixes a Failed Payment

1LINK is the State Bank regulated company that connects Pakistan's banks so your card works at any bank's ATM and your phone can send money to any bank account. It does not hold your money and it does not take your complaint. Your own bank does, and then uses 1LINK's dispute system to chase the other bank.

You see the name 1LINK on ATM screens, on IBFT receipts and in failed transfer messages. Most people have no idea who it is. We read 1LINK's own site and FAQ on 14 October 2026 to set out what it runs, who owns it, and what that means when a payment goes wrong at 11 pm.

1LINK is a licensed payment switch owned by banks

1LINK says it is Pakistan's first fully licensed Payment System Operator. Eleven banks own it. It was incorporated with the SECP on 20 September 2004, became a private limited company on 5 July 2018, and is regulated by the State Bank of Pakistan.

A payment system operator is a company that moves payment messages between banks. Think of it as the road between them. When you take cash from Bank A's ATM with Bank B's card, 1LINK carries the request from A to B and the answer back.

Its FAQ says it follows the PCI DSS card data security standard. It counts 41 member banks, 23 affiliate members, 5,342 billers, 59 bank and non-bank aggregators and 63 non-banking financial initiators.

Shared ATMs let any bank's card work at any bank's machine

1LINK's Shared ATM network connects commercial and microfinance banks with Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay, JCB and PayPak. Customers can withdraw cash and check balances at any participating bank's ATM across the country. That is what the bank means by an off-us transaction.

At your own bank's ATM, 1LINK says member banks also offer inter-bank transfers, balance enquiry and bill payment. Using another bank's machine costs a fee. Our note on the inter-bank ATM withdrawal fee covers the rise banks announced.

1IBFT sends money between banks, and your bank sets the fee

1IBFT is the inter-bank funds transfer service behind most "send to another bank" buttons. The 1LINK site also lists Bulk 1IBFT for payroll files. What you pay and how much you can send free depends on your bank's schedule, as the guide to IBFT charges in Pakistan explains.

The newer Raast system is separate. The State Bank runs Raast, not 1LINK. Both can move money between banks, which is why a bank app may show both.

A failed payment goes to your bank, not to 1LINK

1LINK's dispute pages are for banks. Its Switch Dispute Resolution System, SDRS, is a shared platform for members to track complaint status and meet State Bank deadlines. It handles ATM cash withdrawals, 1IBFT transfers, bill payments and PayPak POS disputes.

Its fraud tool does the same for transfers. 1LINK says its Fraudulent Transaction Dispute Handling gives banks round the clock dispute lodgment for fraudulent 1IBFT transfers between banks. So a customer who was cheated does not log in anywhere. The bank does it.

That means the right first call is your own bank, and the right proof is the receipt. For a withdrawal where cash was not dispensed, the deadlines are in what to do when an ATM gives no cash. For a card or transfer that was deducted but did not complete, see money deducted but the payment failed.

1. Keep the ATM slip or screenshot with the date, time, amount and the ATM's bank.
2. Call your own bank's helpline, not the ATM owner's, and get a complaint number.
3. Ask which dispute channel it used and when it will reply.
4. If the bank is silent, escalate to the State Bank.
5. Only email 1LINK for general questions about its services.

Where to contact 1LINK and the State Bank

1LINK's contact page lists +92 21 111 11 1LINK (15465) and support@1link.net.pk for queries. Its head office is in Park Towers, Clifton, Karachi. For an unresolved bank complaint, the State Bank's route is the Sunwai complaint portal.

We saw no refund or customer complaint form on 1LINK's site. Expect any refund to come from the bank that holds your account.

Common questions about 1LINK

What is 1LINK?

1LINK is a licensed payment system operator owned by a group of 11 banks and regulated by the State Bank. It connects banks for shared ATMs, inter-bank transfers, bill payment and the PayPak card.

Is 1LINK a bank or a wallet?

No. It does not hold customer accounts. Your bank or wallet does. 1LINK only carries the payment messages between them.

Who owns PayPak?

PayPak's own site says 1LINK owns and operates it, and that it was launched under the State Bank. The details of its cards are in our guide to the PayPak card, its cover and its limits.

Can I complain to 1LINK about a failed ATM withdrawal?

Complain to your own bank first. 1LINK's dispute system is for member banks. Its support email exists for general queries.

Is 1IBFT the same as Raast?

No. 1IBFT is 1LINK's inter-bank transfer service. Raast is the State Bank's instant payment system. Both are used by bank apps.

How many banks are in the 1LINK network?

Its FAQ lists 41 member banks, 23 affiliate members and one white label ATM operator. Biller and aggregator counts are in the same FAQ.

How we verified this

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

Last checked 14 October 2026. Ownership, member counts and service descriptions come from 1LINK's FAQ, its Shared ATM page and its dispute pages, SDRS and FTDH, all read on that date. PayPak details come from PayPak's own site. We did not find a customer complaint form on 1LINK's site, and we did not test any dispute.