1LINK is marking 22 years of operation, with Muhammad Bashir Khan, Chief Merchant, Schemes and Alliances, reflecting on the ecosystem that has powered the company’s role in connecting Pakistanis to the wider financial system. As the country’s domestic payment switch, 1LINK has spent over two decades building the underlying infrastructure that links banks, billers, and payment schemes into a single interoperable network.
According to Khan, 1LINK’s strength lies in the breadth of the ecosystem built around it, which now includes 42 banks and 22 affiliates connected to its network, along with thousands of billers reachable through 1BILL Direct and its bill aggregation services. That scale positions 1LINK as a central connective layer sitting behind a large share of Pakistan’s everyday banking and bill payment transactions, rather than operating as a single consumer-facing product.
Khan also pointed to 1LINK’s role in supporting global payment scheme partners alongside PayPak, Pakistan’s domestic card scheme, describing the company’s purpose as going beyond simply connecting institutions to actively connecting Pakistanis to a wider financial world. He said the network gives people access to their choice of payment channel around the clock, framing 1LINK’s role as providing the underlying plumbing that lets banks, merchants, and billers interact regardless of which institution a customer originally banks with.
No specific figures were shared on transaction volumes processed through 1LINK’s network over its 22 years, nor were details given on any planned expansion of its bank, affiliate, or biller network going forward. The reflection was shared as part of the company’s anniversary messaging, with Khan’s comments framing the milestone as a point of continuity for 1LINK’s role in Pakistan’s payments infrastructure rather than announcing any new initiative or partnership.
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