The National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) conducted its 2nd Merchant Sales Conference in Lahore as part of its continued efforts to expand digital payments adoption and strengthen Pakistan’s cashless payments ecosystem. The conference was hosted by Golootlo, NBP’s debit card alliance partner, and brought together senior leadership from NBP, global payment schemes, fintech partners, and key stakeholders from Retail and Islamic Banking.
The conference commenced with a keynote address by Mr. Rehmat Ali Hasnie, President & CEO, National Bank of Pakistan, who outlined the Bank’s strategic vision for scaling digital payments, expanding merchant acceptance across urban and semi-urban markets, and positioning NBP as a leading driver of inclusive, secure, and interoperable digital payments nationwide.
This was followed by a thought-provoking fire-side chat led by Mr. Adnan Nasir, SEVP / Chief Digital Officer, NBP, who shared insights into the Bank’s digital transformation journey and the evolving role of debit cards and the mobile app within NBP’s broader digital and financial inclusion agenda. The session featured Mr. Fouad Farrukh, SEVP / Group Chief Islamic Banking Group, and Mr. Syed Mujtaba Abbas, SEVP / Group Chief Retail Banking Group, who highlighted the contribution of their respective business segments in driving transaction growth, merchant enablement, and customer adoption of digital payment channels.
A key segment of the conference was a panel discussion on accelerating cashless transactions, chaired by the Head of Cards. The panel brought together leaders from global payment schemes, fintech companies, and the bank’s business divisions. The discussion focused on collaboration between payment schemes, merchant incentives, practical strategies to increase debit and digital transactions, and the rapidly evolving payments landscape.
The conference also featured a second panel discussion dedicated to merchant acquiring and acceptance infrastructure, chaired by the Division Head of the Digital Banking Group. Panelists shared perspectives on acquiring models, technology enablement, and the role of fintech partnerships in expanding merchant acceptance and improving transaction efficiency.
The 2nd Merchant Sales Conference reinforced the bank’s focus on execution, collaboration, and partnership-led growth, while aligning internal teams and external partners around the shared objective of scaling digital payments across Pakistan.