Now that Apple Pay and Google Pay are available, freelancers in Pakistan can accept payments from abroad. The significant technological advancement followed Sadapay’s announcement that its platform would be integrated with international payment networks for commercial users. Sadapay is a financial technology startup.
The action by Sadapay fills a long-standing need, especially for Pakistani gig workers who work for overseas clients via websites like Fivver and Upwork. It should be remembered, nevertheless, that the debut of Apple Pay and Google Pay through Sadapay is just the beginning and not the full rollout of the services in Pakistan.
– How it operates:
Apple Pay and G-Pay are mobile payment services launched by Apple and Google that operate on the corresponding mobile operating systems of these phones internationally. This implies that you may use Apple Pay to make payments in-person, in iOS apps, and online if you own an iPhone, a Mac, an Apple Watch, or any other Apple product. G-Pay serves users of android devices in a similar manner.
These days, Apple Pay and G-Pay both adhere to the idea of digitising cash and debit cards. These platforms allow for simple and straightforward online payments as well as retail purchases. But only Sadapay would be able to conduct online transactions on either platform in Pakistan.
– Freelancers’ formula:
Pakistan has a larger freelance sector than we think. Numerous young professionals have gradually strayed away from 9–5 occupations and begun working for themselves due to low compensation, particularly in the software industry. Many of these experts work for overseas clients and utilise websites like Upwork and Fivver. These clients pay in foreign currency and find cheaper labour in markets like Pakistan, which benefits both parties.
In Pakistan, freelancers made over $400 million each in 2021 and 2022. This represents 15% of Pakistan’s entire ICT (information-communication-technology) exports, which total $2.6 billion. With around 8% of all freelance work in 2017, the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) research places Pakistan as the fourth-largest market for digital gigs worldwide. Due to the growing number of competent graduates who are working as independent contractors, Pakistan is currently ranked fourth.
The inability to get paid is the major issue for these independent contractors. Receiving foreign currency transfers from Pakistani banks is difficult, and the most popular solution, PayPal, does not function there. However, there are excellent alternatives like G-Pay and Apple Pay, which have 500 million and 150 million users worldwide, respectively.
As a result, many overseas employers can utilise these platforms to process payments. Since Apple Pay has a market share that is four times that of PayPal, independent contractors in Pakistan may be able to reach 650 million clients worldwide.
Sadapay has established Sadabizz with this goal in mind. Essentially, this is Sadapay for companies rather than for regular users. Through this platform, independent contractors can create Sadapay business accounts, enabling them to accept payments via Apple Pay and G-Pay. In essence, independent contractors would be able to make and transmit links to clients asking for Apple Pay payments.
The customer can then quickly and easily finish the transaction by clicking on the payment link, entering their information, and clicking “Submit.”
For independent contractors, this change is significant. Therefore, there is no longer a need for clients to use conventional payment methods because any overseas client with an iPhone may swiftly and simply pay freelancers in Pakistan. Since Sadapay is aiming to capitalise on a highly valuable niche market with this new option, this also appears to be a wise business move on their part.
The action appears to be part of a concerted attempt by Sadapay to support Pakistan’s increasing freelance community by serving as its preferred method of payment. Perhaps for this reason, they also introduced SadaSchool, an online platform that gives freelancers a masterclass to help them improve their portfolios.