Foundational
What is a Roshan Digital Account?
A State Bank of Pakistan initiative that lets overseas Pakistanis open and operate a Pakistani bank account entirely remotely — without visiting a branch in Pakistan.
Last reviewed 15 August 2026
An RDA is a fully functional Pakistani bank account, opened digitally from abroad, that can be used for ordinary transactions, for sending money to family, and as the gateway to Pakistani investment products — most notably the Naya Pakistan Certificates.
Why it exists
Pakistan receives very large remittance inflows, but historically much of it arrived through channels that gave the country no durable deposit base. The RDA was designed to give the diaspora a reason to hold and invest money in Pakistan rather than simply transferring it — by making remote account opening genuinely workable and attaching investment products to it.
What you can do with one
- →Hold balances in PKR or in foreign currency, and send money to family in Pakistan.
- →Invest in Naya Pakistan Certificates, available in PKR, USD, GBP, EUR, SAR, AED across tenors from 3 months to 5 years.
- →Access property and other investment schemes aimed at overseas Pakistanis.
- →Repatriate funds — a stated design feature of the scheme is that money can leave again.
The rates, and the catch
USD-denominated certificate rates were running at roughly 6.75–7.75% per annum as of 1 June 2026, rising with tenor — considerably above what a USD deposit would earn in most Western banks. Profit is subject to a flat 10% withholding tax, described as full and final.
The obvious question is why the rate is that high, and it is worth sitting with. Higher yields compensate for risk — here, sovereign and currency risk. A USD certificate protects you from rupee depreciation but not from the broader risk of holding an emerging-market sovereign obligation. A PKR certificate pays more precisely because you are carrying the currency risk yourself.
None of that means it is a bad product. It means the headline rate is not free money, and anyone comparing it against a Western savings account is not comparing like with like.
Opening one
Applications are made online through an issuing bank — see our bank comparison. You will need identity documentation and proof of your overseas status, and the process is designed to be completed without visiting Pakistan. Banks differ noticeably in how smoothly the remote onboarding actually runs, which is worth weighing alongside the rate.