The Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA) grants a Zone Enterprise
license to JazzCash, bringing Pakistan’s leading fintech platform and its 62 million registered customers into
the Special Technology Zone framework. JazzCash will run its technology operations from Tech 7 Special
Technology Zone, a state-of-the-art Science and Technology Park based out of Sector B17, Islamabad.
STZA is the autonomous federal regulator and enabler for Special Technology Zones (STZs), operating under
the Cabinet Division, with a mandate to enable, license and regulate the STZs and technology enterprises
housed within, to promote and expand Pakistan’s knowledge and technology economy domestically and
globally.
JazzCash operates the nation’s largest digital payment acceptance infrastructure, with its Raast QR network
now stretching across 1.7 million merchant locations nationwide, advancing the national cashless economy
agenda. Complementing this scale, the platform’s expanding digital lending portfolio is equally noteworthy,
disbursing an average of 224,000 loans per day in Q2 2026, extending formal credit to microentrepreneurs,
including women-led enterprises. Together, these milestones underscore JazzCash’s dual role as both a digital
financial services powerhouse and a catalyst for financial inclusion across Pakistan.
JazzCash’s arrival to STZA ecosystem adds to a base of fintech companies that has been growing steadily.
Since its inception, STZA has notified 32 zones across Pakistan, of which 20 are operational, hosting more
than 300+ technology enterprises and over 30,000 technology professionals. It is pertinent to highlight that
over US$190 Million of goods and services were exported by the STZA licensed companies in FY 25-26.
Hamza Saeed Orakzai, Chief Market Development Officer at STZA, said: “JazzCash is one of the country’s
leading fintech and digital financial services companies, and its move into the STZA ecosystem strengthens a
fintech portfolio we’ve been building deliberately. We expect more firms of this calibre, Pakistani and
international, to follow.’’
Aamir Aftab, Chief Product Officer at JazzCash, said: “Tech 7 gives us a base within a zone designed for exactly
the kind of innovation our platform depends on, and the STZA framework supports the long-term investment
we’re putting into serving our growing customer base. It gives our developers the environment to keep building
innovative solutions, from the infrastructure behind our Raast-enabled interoperable QR network to our digital
lending products, which already reach millions of merchants and borrowers every day.”
Financial technology now sits at the heart of information technology, artificial intelligence, cloud computing,
agri-tech, business process outsourcing and high-tech production, enabling commerce, payroll, tax collection
and small-business credit. The Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA) and JazzCash are strategically
aligned to bolster Pakistan’s technology ecosystem by integrating regulatory enablement with digital financial
infrastructure. STZA establishes the fiscal terms and licensing frameworks essential for long-term tech
investment, while JazzCash brings the digital financial services infrastructure and reach that underpin Pakistan’s
shift toward a cashless economy.
