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Corridor Partner Strategy

Owner Classification Review Date Status
Product Confidential April 2027 Active

| Owner: CDO | Classification: Confidential | Updated: April 2026 |

This page documents the recommended partner strategy for each of Simpaisa's key payment corridors. Partners are evaluated on their ability to reduce FX cost, improve settlement speed, and add liquidity depth. This is a living document - update as partnerships are signed and corridors mature.

Strategic Priorities

# Action Corridor Partner Rationale Status
1 Join Thunes Direct Global Network (DGN) All inbound South Asian corridors Thunes Unlocks instant access to JazzCash, EasyPaisa, bKash, e-Sewa and 550+ direct integrations without building each individually. Fastest path to scale. Not started
2 Evaluate Ripple ODL for nostro elimination UAE/Saudi to Pakistan Ripple ODL eliminates need for pre-funded PKR nostro accounts. Faysal Bank and LuLu Exchange already live on RippleNet in this corridor. Material capital efficiency gain. Not started
3 Qi Card partnership - Iraq Iraq local payout Qi Card Iraq government mandate for electronic payments (deadline: July 2026). Qi Card is the dominant infrastructure player. First-mover window closing fast. Not started
4 8B partnership - Central Asia Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan 8B (8B.world) Without a local intermediary, Central Asia is inaccessible at competitive economics. 8B integrates with Kaspi Pay, Click, Payme - the dominant local RTP networks. Not started
5 bKash direct integration Bangladesh bKash (BRAC Bank) 82M+ verified users. No third-party intermediary needed. Direct API is optimal architecture for Bangladesh payout volume. Not started
6 Reverse-partnership with Zepz or Nala UK/US to Pakistan/Bangladesh Zepz / Nala Simpaisa acts as their South Asian payout layer. Generates inbound volume without building consumer remittance app. Nala ($40M Series A) is the faster engagement; Zepz ($17B volume) is higher volume ceiling. Not started
7 Cybrid partnership - origination rails USA/Canada to South Asia Cybrid Cybrid-powered North American fintechs send stablecoin; Simpaisa provides last-mile payout in Pakistan/Bangladesh/Nepal. Contact: Ali Irshad (VP Sales). Fresh $10M raise and Asia expansion named as priority. Not started

Inbound Corridors

USA / Canada → Pakistan

Partner Type Settlement Speed FX Benefit Recommended Use Partner Potential
Wise Platform B2B rails Same-day to next-day Mid-market rate, <1% spread Bank-to-bank transfers for established remittance corridors High
Thunes DGN Network member Real-time wallet Bulk corridor pricing Mobile wallet delivery (JazzCash, EasyPaisa) High
Ripple ODL Liquidity mechanism 3-5 seconds Eliminates pre-funded PKR nostro Institutional settlement; capital efficiency High
Cybrid Stablecoin origination Near-instant (on-chain) Stablecoin removes FX intermediary US/Canada fintech to USDT to Simpaisa PKR off-ramp High

UK → Pakistan / Bangladesh

Partner Type Settlement Speed FX Benefit Recommended Use Partner Potential
Wise Platform B2B rails Same-day Mid-market FX, FCA-regulated Bank transfers; high-value remittances High
Thunes DGN Network member Real-time wallet Bulk pricing; direct JazzCash, bKash integrations Last-mile mobile wallet delivery High
Zepz (WorldRemit/Sendwave) Payout aggregator (reverse) Near-instant Revenue share on payout volume Simpaisa as Zepz's South Asian payout layer High
Nala Payout aggregator (reverse) Near-instant Revenue share on payout volume Simpaisa as Nala's Pakistan/Bangladesh payout infrastructure High

UAE → Pakistan / Bangladesh / Nepal

Partner Type Settlement Speed FX Benefit Recommended Use Partner Potential
LuLu Exchange (RippleNet) Exchange + RippleNet Near-instant Competitive FX; RippleNet ODL eliminates nostro UAE to Pakistan primary corridor; Bank Alfalah integration High
Thunes DGN Network member Real-time wallet DGN bulk pricing; AED to PKR/BDT/NPR UAE to Nepal (e-Sewa), Bangladesh (bKash), Pakistan wallet delivery High
TerraPay / Xend Interoperability network <60 seconds Aggregated FX pricing UAE digital wallet to South Asian wallet interoperability Medium
Al Ansari Exchange UAE exchange house Same-day Competitive retail FX UAE retail remittance distribution network Medium

Saudi Arabia → Pakistan / Bangladesh / Nepal

Partner Type Settlement Speed FX Benefit Recommended Use Partner Potential
Thunes / TeleMoney (Arab National Bank) Network member Real-time wallet DGN pricing; SAR to PKR/BDT/NPR direct Saudi diaspora wallet delivery to JazzCash, EasyPaisa, bKash High
Nium / Enjaz (Bank Albilad) B2B rails Same-day bank Institutional FX; bank-grade settlement Saudi to South Asia bank-to-bank settlement Medium
Ripple ODL via Faysal Bank Liquidity mechanism 3-5 seconds Eliminates pre-funded SAR/PKR nostro Institutional settlement; capital efficiency High

Local / Outbound Corridors

Pakistan - Internal Rails

Partner Type Settlement Speed Notes Priority
RAAST (SBP) National RTP Instant (24/7) Zero settlement cost; SBP-mandated; essential for regulated players Critical - must integrate
JazzCash (direct) Mobile wallet Instant 45M+ wallet users; largest mobile wallet in Pakistan; direct API High
EasyPaisa (direct) Mobile wallet Instant Telenor-backed; 20M+ users; strong rural reach; direct API High
1Link Interbank switch Same-day Pakistan national interbank switch; required for ATM and POS acquiring High

Bangladesh - bKash Ecosystem

Partner Type Settlement Speed Notes Priority
bKash (direct - BRAC Bank) Mobile wallet Instant 82M+ verified users; direct API; receives international remittances; Gulf Exchange partnership (Sep 2025) Critical - direct integration optimal
TerraPay Interoperability <60 seconds Fallback for broader Bangladeshi bank coverage; creator/media payout use cases Medium
Thunes DGN Network member Real-time bKash accessible via DGN; covers 100+ inbound send countries Medium

Central Asia - Kazakhstan / Uzbekistan

Partner Type Settlement Speed Notes Priority
8B (8B.world) Regional infrastructure Real-time (local RTP) Integrates with Kaspi Pay (KZ), Click and Payme (UZ); purpose-built for Central Asia; PayU partnership for UPI corridors. ~250B USD payments market by 2026. Critical - no other viable route
Nium Global payout rails Same-day 190+ country coverage includes KZ and UZ; suitable as fallback/aggregator layer Medium - fallback only
Banking Circle Settlement layer Next-day EUR/GBP settlement bridging to Central Asian intermediaries Medium - for European send corridors

Iraq - Local Payout

Partner Type Settlement Speed Notes Priority
Qi Card National fintech / payroll Same-day 30M+ cardholders; government salary localisation mandate (deadline July 2026); payroll, retail, and remittance. First-mover window is open now. Critical - engage immediately
Zain Cash Mobile money Near-instant 1.2M+ users; mobile-only payout for unbanked population; remittance-enabled High
PayTabs Payment gateway Same-day Iraq operations; payment orchestration; suitable for merchant acquiring in Iraq Medium

FX and Liquidity Infrastructure

Provider Role Corridors Key Benefit Partner Potential
Ripple ODL Bridge liquidity (XRP) UAE/Saudi to Pakistan; global Eliminates pre-funded nostro accounts; 3-5 second settlement; $95B+ annual volume High
Wise Platform FX infrastructure US/UK/CA to Pakistan/Bangladesh Mid-market rate; sub-1% spread; 70+ licences; B2B partner programme High
Banking Circle Settlement / safeguarding European corridors Competitive EUR/GBP settlement; used by 100+ fintechs as banking infrastructure Medium
Currencycloud (Visa) FX and multi-currency Global 40+ currencies; embedded FX for platforms; Visa backing provides reach Medium
Stellar / USDC (Circle) Stablecoin settlement Global Near-zero cost on-chain settlement; growing adoption for B2B cross-border Medium

Competitor Watch - Corridor Risk

Competitor Corridor Risk Threat Mitigation
Airwallex UAE/Saudi enterprise FX; $1.1B MENA commitment; targeting same merchant base High Lock in enterprise relationships with Simpaisa's local acquiring advantage before Airwallex gets UAE licence
Thunes Inbound South Asian corridors - could disintermediate Simpaisa's wallet delivery High Join Thunes DGN as a member, making them a partner not a competitor
Nium 190-country payout; IPO in 2026 will intensify sales; Enjaz partnership in Saudi High Evaluate as Central Asia fallback partner; MENA positioning requires differentiation on local relationships Nium cannot replicate
Zepz / WorldRemit $17B volume; South Asian corridors (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal) directly; Sendwave USDC wallet Medium Engage as payout partner (Simpaisa as their last-mile) rather than allow them to build own rails
Ripple / ODL Faysal Bank + LuLu Exchange already live; if Simpaisa does not join, competitors will use ODL to undercut on UAE to Pakistan FX Medium Evaluate ODL integration as a liquidity mechanism to reduce nostro costs
Document Relevance
Competitive Landscape - Full Analysis Full competitive landscape including corridor competitors
Competitive Landscape - By Country Country-level competitive analysis
Thunes - Competitive Intelligence Thunes deep-dive - primary DGN partner candidate
Cybrid - Competitive Intelligence Cybrid deep-dive - US/Canada origination partner candidate
Nium - Competitive Intelligence Nium deep-dive - Central Asia fallback partner
Regulatory Playbook: Pakistan Pakistan regulatory context for corridor partnerships
Regulatory Playbook: Bangladesh Bangladesh regulatory context
Cross-Border Compliance Framework Compliance framework governing partner corridor operations