Pasban Remittance Reward Scheme: Rs 100 million prize for families getting $100 a month

The State Bank of Pakistan and the Pakistan Banks Association have launched the Pasban Remittance Reward Scheme, a free quarterly prize draw for families in Pakistan who receive money from abroad through banks. The top prize is Rs 100 million (Rs 10 crore), and more than 10,000 prizes worth Rs 16 billion will be drawn every year. SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad inaugurated the scheme, announced in an SBP press release on 25 September.

The first draw is on 15 January 2027 and covers remittances received from 1 October to 31 December 2026. Nothing needs to be bought or registered: qualifying bank customers are entered automatically.

The prizes, every quarter

Four draws a year make 10,084 winners and Rs 16 billion in prizes. The banks pay for the prizes, so the scheme costs the government nothing, according to the launch details.

Who qualifies

• You must receive a home remittance worth at least $100 a month for three months in a row within the same quarter.
• The money must come through formal banking channels. Hundi and hawala transfers do not count.
• Every $100 received gives one digital entry. $200 in a month gives two, and so on. Entries cannot be transferred.
• There is no fee, no ticket, no minimum balance and nothing to fill in.

At today's dollar rate of about Rs 277, $100 is roughly Rs 27,700. A family that gets $300 a month for October, November and December would hold nine entries in the first draw. Use our currency converter to check what a transfer in riyals, dirhams or pounds works out to.

Where the prizes go

Prizes are split by the country the money comes from, roughly matching where Pakistan's remittances originate:

• Gulf (GCC) countries: 50%
• United Kingdom: 15%
• Europe: 15%
• North America: 10%
• Other countries: 10%

The Rs 100 million first prize is open to every region.

What to do now

1. Use a formal channel. Ask the sender to send through a bank or licensed remittance service to your bank account, not through hundi or hawala. If your family collects cash over the counter, ask your bank whether those transfers are counted.
2. Keep it regular from 1 October. A gap in any month of the quarter breaks the three-month condition for that quarter.
3. Keep your account details current with your bank, including your CNIC and mobile number, so a win can be traced to you.
4. Beware of fake winner calls. Pakistan's banks do not ask for OTPs, PINs or a fee to release a prize. Anyone who does is a fraudster.

Remittances are Pakistan's largest source of dollars: they reached $3.66 billion in August alone (details). The scheme is meant to pull more of that money away from hundi and into banks.