SBP Opens Fintech Sandbox Applications Until November 30, 2026

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has opened applications for the second round of its Regulatory Sandbox, inviting individuals and businesses to experiment with innovative financial solutions involving artificial intelligence, payment systems, incoming remittances and emerging financial services.

The central bank announced that applications for the programme’s second cohort will be accepted until November 30, 2026.

The initiative will give selected applicants an opportunity to trial their financial innovations in a controlled environment, while allowing the SBP to evaluate new technologies and improve the regulations governing their implementation.

The second round will focus on four areas: artificial intelligence applications in financial services, payment-related innovations, technology-driven inward remittances, and an open category for emerging financial services.

The SBP clarified that only submissions addressing one of these four designated areas will qualify for consideration.

The programme is part of the central bank’s wider strategy under SBP Vision 2028, which aims to encourage innovation across Pakistan’s digital financial services sector without compromising consumer protection or the stability of the financial system.

The SBP first introduced its Regulatory Sandbox in August 2025, with the inaugural cohort completing its programme in June 2026.

A regulatory sandbox is a supervised testing environment where new financial products, services and business models can be evaluated under controlled conditions. It enables regulators to examine potential risks and practical implications before deciding how existing regulations should apply or whether new rules are necessary.

Through the second cohort, the SBP intends to continue supporting the testing of innovative financial solutions while using the findings to strengthen and modernise its regulatory framework in response to technological developments.

Interested applicants can submit their proposals to the central bank by email before the November 30, 2026 deadline.

The SBP has also published application guidelines featuring the required form and step-by-step instructions for participation, alongside a separate document explaining the four thematic areas covered by the programme.