Sohni Dharti Remittance Program Closed: SBP Ends Reward Points for Overseas Pakistanis

The Sohni Dharti Remittance Program Closed announcement has been officially confirmed by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), marking the end of one of the country’s key incentive schemes for overseas Pakistanis. The decision means that no new reward points will issue for remittances sent through legal banking channels from July 1, 2026.

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has announced the end of the Sohni Dharti Remittance Program (SDRP) for the fiscal year 2026–27 in a notification sent to all banks and financial institutions. All eligible remittances made before 30th June 2026, however, will continue to earn reward points and will reported for credit to 1LINK in line with the scheme.

SBP has explained that reward points will continue to be valid till June 30, 2027, from January 1, 2026. Overseas Pakistanis and eligible family members could continue to convert their points during this time. The Sohni Dharti Remittance Program will be completely inactive from 1st July 2027.

In response to this, the State Bank of Pakistan decided to launch a remittance program called ‘Sohni Dharti’ to promote the use of formal banking channels for remittance rather than informal ones. This loyalty program enabled the users to accrue points on each transfer made via SBP approved banks and financial institutions, effectively boosting Pakistan’s foreign exchange inflows and ensuring secure and transparent remittance services.

The program originally had three levels of membership: Green, Gold and Platinum. For the further improvement of the Scheme, the State Bank added a fourth category ‘Diamond’ with 3% extra advantage to the frequent remitter on 22nd September, 2023.

Reward points could exchanged for a number of government services and benefits. These encompassed registration fees at the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, customs duty payments at the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) on imported mobiles, vehicles, and tuition fees at the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) schools as well as passport renewals at the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGIP).

The closure of the Sohni Dharti Remittance Program marks the end of an incentive initiative that aimed to encourage legal remittance transfers and strengthen Pakistan’s formal banking system. Overseas Pakistanis who have accumulated reward points advised to redeem them before June 30, 2027, after which the program and all remaining points will expire.