Exclusive: EasyPaisa Gets Another Round of Funding

easypaisaAfter we uncovered in July 2011 about initial funding used to establish Easypaisa, it is now learned that Telenor has received another grant, valuing US 6.5 million dollars or Rs. 585 million, for stretching the reach of easypaisa services.

This fund, granted by Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation under its global development program, is said to be used to accelerate take-up and usage of Easypaisa mobile savings account among poor and unbanked customers.

We aren’t sure if Rs. 585 million fund will help the company drop the transactional charges as well (to make the service affordable for the poor) or it will be entirely used to build the infrastructure and to meet Easypaisa’s advertising/awareness campaigns.

As we have noted before, Telenor is making significant amount of revenues from it’s easypaisa services, while on other hands, despite of foreign aid, Easypaisa’s transactional charges are amongst the highest in all kind of money processing charges, locally and globally.

It is interesting to mention here that the fund was granted to Telenor Pakistan in November 2011 but company didn’t make any announcement of it, till now at least.

Tech and telecom reporter for over 15 years


  • Stop whining Aamir. This post would not have been here if you were given an easypaisa ad…haina?

    • Yes propak did get ads for djuice for a month and during tht time they magically decided to put up nothing negative abt the company :)

        • shame on you TELENOR shame on you.govermnet,ISI, or Cheif Justice ko chaiye k is mamley ki tehkikat karey k ye sarey paisey ja kaha rahay hain?baar baar intay paison ki funding samjh nahi ati,daal main kuch KALA hai.ye security risk ho sakta hai country k liye.

    • BREAKING NEWS: norway k secret agents pakistan main hain.kahin ye paisa unhain tu nahi ja raha ????? search in google this topic ,you will come to know. ISI kia kar rahay ho TELENOR AUR EASYPAISA ko bahar nikalo is se phelay k dair ho jai.

  • This is a huge grant for Telenor. I wonder why it had to rely on a grant if EasyPaisa was doing so good already. Isn’t it turning a profit?

    • It not about profits here. If we follow the link given by Aamir it clearly says that the grant is given under the head “Financial Services for the Poor”.

      Hope sanity prevails here…

  • check the topic of foundation website.
    Topic: Financial Services for the Poor.
    hahaha we are poor nation.

  • Admin please verify the amount is it 6.5 Million or billion as u have mentioned 585 Million $ otherwise. Please rectify.

  • Kasoor Telenor ka nahi, bechari ai he norway say hay jahan log apni tankha ka 30 to 40% taxes main detay hain, wo he jarasim telenor main sath ayay hain, delivery reports off, balance checking per charges, izafi network service maintenance charges, call center charges, call center numainda charges wagera wagera sab telenor kay he jarasim hain jo Pak telecom unity meetings main tamam companies kay agay telenor pesh kerti hay.

  • Salam,

    I think this piece of news is not providing full picture. Bill and Malinda Gates Foundtaion(link given below) says that it has given the aid to Telenor Pakistan amounting $6.5m in november 2011 and its term is 2 years and 1 month. There is no mention of any other grant to Telenor Pakistan. I don’t know Telenor stance on it. But please atleast counter verify any information and atleast use few clicks. I am disapointed as I thought earlier Pro Pakistani is more reliable.

    http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Grants-2011/Pages/Telenor-Pakistan-OPP1019705.aspx

    • bahi this is exactly what I have mentioned, that Bill and Malinda Gates gave 6.5 million dollars to Telenor, what’s confusing you?

  • This is funny, they are running on charity and charging huge amount for money transfers on the other hand. I suggest everyone to use ATM transfers (check that some banks lie about their charges, keep an eye on your balance)

  • Again over hyped story, manipulating facts to create sensation. And please everybody knows the intent behind sudden rise in such blogs against an entity. off course it’s advertisements, This site is not for charity or for the good of the people per say.

    Please do a “research” or “story” on the grant which UBL OMNI got from same entity.


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