Karachi, Pakistan — In a major development for Pakistan’s financial sector, Bank Alfalah, one of the country’s leading commercial banks, has announced a strategic collaboration with Swift to introduce Payment Pre-validation, a groundbreaking solution aimed at improving the speed, accuracy, and security of cross-border payments.
Through this partnership, Bank Alfalah—via the national payment switch 1LINK—will enable any Swift-connected financial institution worldwide to perform real-time, upfront validation checks on beneficiary data for over 200 million bank accounts in Pakistan. The initiative marks a significant milestone in Bank Alfalah’s commitment to digital innovation and reinforces its role in advancing the digital transformation of Pakistan’s banking industry.
Swift’s Payment Pre-validation service helps minimize transaction failures by validating essential payment details—including IBANs, account holder names, and currency codes—before the payment is initiated. This proactive approach helps eliminate errors, reduce fraud risks, and accelerate transaction times, offering greater confidence and transparency for both senders and recipients of international payments.
Commenting on the collaboration, Farooq A. Khan, Group Head Corporate Banking and International Business at Bank Alfalah, said:
“At Bank Alfalah, we are committed to boosting financial innovation and improving customer experiences. Our work with Swift is a significant step in making cross-border transactions more secure, efficient, and cost-effective. With Payment Pre-validation, our customers will benefit from reduced transaction failures, enhanced fraud prevention, and faster payments, reinforcing our position as a leader in digital banking solutions in Pakistan.”
Onur Ozan, Managing Director, Middle East, Turkey & North Africa at Swift, added:
“Swift is committed to enabling financial institutions to offer a best-in-class payments experience. Our Payment Pre-validation solution provides peace of mind to customers sending money internationally, giving them the certainty that their money will arrive at its intended destination. This initiative will empower all banks in Pakistan and increase the efficiency of payments sent from the Middle East, Europe, UK, and USA into this important payments corridor.”
As cross-border transactions to Pakistan continue to grow, the need for accurate, real-time payment processing has become increasingly critical. Swift’s pre-validation technology leverages global networks and centralized datasets to verify payment details against historical data, significantly reducing the risk of transaction rejection due to incorrect or missing information.
The service also enhances fraud protection by validating sensitive information—such as beneficiary names, account numbers, and payment purposes—before payments are processed. This allows financial institutions to identify potential red flags in advance, reducing financial risks for individuals and businesses alike.
Moreover, the solution offers substantial cost-saving benefits. Swift estimates that global costs associated with failed payments and fund reversals amount to €2 billion annually, a figure expected to decrease significantly with the adoption of pre-validation.
With this partnership, Bank Alfalah once again takes the lead in Pakistan’s digital banking landscape, showcasing its dedication to providing secure, seamless, and future-ready financial services to its customers and the broader banking ecosystem.
