The Pasban Remittance Rewards Scheme is Pakistan’s new flagship incentive for formal remittances, and the Consulate General of Pakistan in Dubai has moved to make sure the Pakistani community in the UAE knows how to benefit from it. According to the Consulate, it held an awareness session in Dubai on Friday, where the National Bank of Pakistan’s UAE team walked overseas Pakistanis through the prize structure, the eligibility rules and the digital entry system.
FAKTA
- Scheme: The Pasban Remittance Rewards Scheme (PRRS), launched on 1 October 2026 by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) together with the Pakistan Banks Association and participating banks. SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad inaugurated the scheme, which replaces the earlier Sohni Dharti incentive model.
- Prize pool: Rs16 billion in annual cash prizes — Rs4 billion every quarter, with 2,521 prizes in each quarterly draw. There is one first prize of Rs100 million, 20 second prizes of Rs25 million each, 100 third prizes of Rs10 million each and 2,400 fourth prizes of Rs1 million each.
- Eligibility: A beneficiary qualifies by receiving a home remittance of at least US$100 (or equivalent) in each of three consecutive months within a quarter, through formal banking channels. One digital, non-transferable entry is generated per US$100 of an eligible remittance, rounded to the nearest US$100.
- Cost of entry: None — there is no registration fee, ticket or minimum bank balance required. SBP has said the scheme is funded entirely by the banking industry and places no burden on the national exchequer.
- First draw: Scheduled for 15 January 2027, covering eligible remittances received between 1 October and 31 December 2026.
- The event: The Dubai Consulate’s session featured a detailed briefing by the NBP UAE team, the screening of an official Pasban awareness video, an interactive question-and-answer round, and the distribution of informational material, closing with a cake-cutting ceremony to mark the launch drive.
- Context: Overseas Pakistanis sent a record $41.6 billion in workers’ remittances in FY26, and the UAE is among the largest sources of those flows — the Dubai Pakistani community numbers more than 400,000 people.
What the Pasban Remittance Rewards Scheme Offers
The scheme is designed to reward the recipients of home remittances rather than only the senders. Prizes go to eligible beneficiaries in Pakistan whose families receive money through official banking channels, turning everyday transfers into a chance at one of the 2,521 cash awards handed out every quarter. Because the banking industry funds the pool, taxpayers carry none of the cost. Details of the launch were widely reported, including a breakdown of the Rs16 billion prize structure.
SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad described the launch as the next step in moving Pakistan toward a sustainable, market-based model for remittance incentives — one that preserves the appeal of formal channels while honouring the contribution of overseas Pakistanis, and he credited the banking industry for developing the scheme with the central bank.
How Beneficiaries Qualify
Qualification is automatic and fee-free. A remittance beneficiary becomes eligible when a personal bank account or wallet receives a home remittance equivalent to at least US$100 in each of three consecutive months within a quarter. Each eligible US$100 slice generates one digital entry; a beneficiary receiving US$100 in October, US$200 in November and US$300 in December, for example, would receive one, two and three entries respectively — six entries for the quarter.
Overseas Pakistanis qualify for the Pasban Remittance Rewards Scheme’s cash prizes by sending at least US$100 a month through formal banking channels for three consecutive months. (Image: Watan News)
NBP Briefing at the Dubai Consulate
At the Consulate’s awareness session, the NBP UAE team delivered the core briefing, explaining the scheme’s mechanics and advantages to the diaspora audience. Attendees were walked through the eligibility criteria, shown the official Pasban awareness video, and given the chance to raise their own questions in an interactive session.
Informational materials were distributed so attendees could share the details within the wider community, and the event closed with a symbolic cake-cutting to mark the scheme’s launch drive in the emirate.
Consul General Hussain Muhammad’s Message
Consul General Hussain Muhammad lauded the NBP’s efforts in taking the scheme to the community. He acknowledged the significant contribution of overseas Pakistanis to Pakistan’s economy — a contribution underscored by the record remittance inflows of recent years — and urged the Pakistani community in the UAE to route its remittances through formal, legal banking channels.
He also highlighted that using formal channels is what lets the beneficiaries back home gain from programmes like PRRS: the rewards flow to the families in Pakistan, and the funds move through secure, traceable systems.
Conclusion
The Dubai session shows how the Pasban Remittance Rewards Scheme is being pushed to the community it is built for: the millions of overseas Pakistanis whose monthly transfers keep families and the national economy afloat. With Rs4 billion in prizes on the table every quarter and entry tied simply to regular formal transfers, the incentive is aimed squarely at shifting money away from informal channels. Read the same story on Watan News: Pakistan Consulate in Dubai Hosts Pasban Remittance Rewards Scheme Awareness Session.
