Business Desk 
Oct 25, 2025
Your digital bank accounts and wallets may face service disruptions from October 25 (Saturday), if you have not yet completed the biometric verification process, as new regulations introduced by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) — earlier in July — take effect.
The SBP regulations — introduced through BPRD Circular No.1 of 2025 — had mandated simplifying of account opening and customer onboarding process by all finance institutions under the central bank's regulations, including banks, Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), Microfinance Banks (MFBs), digital banks and Electronic Money Institutions (EMIs).
With the new regulations, industry sources expressed that potentially tens of millions of account-holders who have not completed their biometric verification could lose the ability to operate them.
Moreover, the new SBP regulations may prevent individuals operating foreign currency accounts from sending or receiving remittances.
Meanwhile, SBP had allowed operators to take up to 60 days to complete biometric verification before a debit block was imposed on their account.
The new framework also needs a 'consolidated approach', regardless of whether the onboarding process is performed in a branch or remotely.
Earlier in 2022, a framework released stated that the use of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) Verisys was allowed for verification at the time of account opening.
However, under this year's framework, biometric verification will be the primary method for “customers with Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC)/National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP)/Pakistan Origin Card (POC)/Proof of Registration (POR) cards prior to establishment of the relationship/opening of the account/wallet”.
