Razorpay is one of India's largest payment gateways, and it comes up often in searches from Pakistani founders who have seen it recommended for South Asian startups. It does not operate in Pakistan, and it is worth understanding why before looking for a workaround.
Why Razorpay does not work in Pakistan
Razorpay is licensed and regulated to operate within India's payments ecosystem -- it settles into Indian bank accounts and is built around Indian payment rails (UPI, RuPay, NEFT). It has no licensing, settlement relationships or support for Pakistani banks, wallets or the State Bank of Pakistan's Raast system. A Pakistani business cannot sign up for a working Razorpay merchant account tied to a Pakistani bank account.
What Pakistani businesses use instead
The equivalent role Razorpay plays in India -- one API, multiple local payment methods, a merchant dashboard -- is filled in Pakistan by local payment gateways that are actually licensed and connected to Pakistani rails: JazzCash, Easypaisa, Raast QR and card acceptance through a gateway such as ZurvaPay, which settles directly into a Pakistani bank account.
If you are building for both markets
A business operating in both India and Pakistan typically needs two separate gateway integrations -- one for each country's payment rails and regulatory environment -- rather than one provider covering both, since no single gateway currently settles natively into both countries.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Razorpay for a Pakistani business?
No -- Razorpay only supports Indian bank accounts and Indian payment rails. A Pakistani business needs a gateway licensed and connected to Pakistani payment methods, such as JazzCash, Easypaisa, Raast and local card acceptance.
What is the Pakistani equivalent of Razorpay?
Local payment gateways such as ZurvaPay play a similar role for Pakistani businesses -- one API covering JazzCash, Easypaisa, Raast QR and cards, settling into a Pakistani bank account.
Start accepting payments with ZurvaPay
Open a merchant account, connect your website with one API and get notified the moment a customer pays.