Bitcoin Bill Paying Service Launches For Pakistani Expats

Launched earlier this week, Paybill.io allows Pakistanians living in other countries to pay for food, water, rent and other bills back home. Financial barriers can make international payments difficult, something this startup is looking to avoid with Bitcoin.

According to Paybill.io co-founder, Danyal Manzar, paying bills for family members is the number one reason why Paskistanis working overseas send money back home. Families rely on these remittances to pay all manner of living expenses.

"It’s very difficult for people to pay bills. Usually they have to go to the merchant sitting at the local shop,” Manzar told TechinAsia. He added that a common way of remitting money is the traditional wire transfers. But, these have low limits, high fees, and require a lot of trust that your family member will actually receive the money. "The place that I live in, [the occupants of] three houses across my street are all living abroad," he said. "They have to keep paying bills while they’re gone."

To use the new service an oversea worker doesn’t need to register any personal information.  Users go to the Paybill.io’s website and fill out information about the service you would like to pay. The amount is transferred with Bitcoin, using a QR code. The service will also allow you to track the payment and know when it has been finalized.

For the time being the service only works with a small number of merchants, that Manzar has already signed up. but he is actively signing up as many as he can. The bill paying experience does not change for these merchants, as they still receive Pakistan rupees. Manzar’s other business, Pakistani Bitcoin exchange Urdubit, provides the currency conversion and transfer facilities.

Although recently released the service also works in Malaysia, where they have a handful of merchants signed up. Paybill.io payments in the Malaysia are processed by local bitcoin exchange, Luno (formerly BitX). Manzar hopes to expand the service to North Africa, and the rest of the Middle East, and ultimately wants to provide a global service.

Manzar also states that the potential of bitcoin payments in Pakistan goes far beyond bill payments. Citing the country’s growing number of freelance workers, he thinks bitcoin could help ease the difficulty they have receiving payments from employers, who are usually in western countries.