With A 55% Stake Held By Telenor And 45% By Ant Group’s Alipay Hong Kong, Easypaisa Bank Serves As The Fintech Backbone Of Pakistan’s Mobile Payment Infrastructure And Its Sale Would Mark A Complete Exit By A Norwegian Telecom That Has Been In Pakistan For Two Decades
According to Bloomberg, Telenor ASA is exploring the sale of its digital bank in Pakistan, Easypaisa Bank Limited in what would complete a full Norwegian exit from the South Asian market after the company sold its telecom operations to Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited, part of e&, in December 2025.
Easypaisa Bank, formerly Telenor Microfinance Bank, is Pakistan’s first licensed digital retail bank. It is jointly owned by Telenor Pakistan B.V. with a 55% majority stake, and Alipay Hong Kong Holding Limited; a subsidiary of Ant Group with the remaining 45%. It serves more than 10 million active users and is the country’s most used digital payments platform, offering mobile wallets, nano-loans, savings, insurance, and bill payment services to millions of previously unbanked Pakistanis since its 2009 launch.
The State Bank of Pakistan granted Easypaisa Bank a full digital retail banking licence in 2023, making it the first microfinance institution to transition to a full digital bank under Pakistan’s new regulatory framework. Any acquisition would require SBP regulatory clearance and is likely to attract interest from regional financial institutions seeking exposure to Pakistan’s rapidly digitising banking sector, where fewer than 30% of adults hold formal bank accounts.
To check out our previous coverage on Pakistan’s fintech sector, digital banking, and Telenor, read our articles here.
