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Panelists discuss Pakistan’s continued reliance on cash-on-delivery and the shift toward digital payments during the EPL Summit 2026 in Karachi on Sept. 9.
EPL Private Limited hosted the EPL Summit 2026 on Sept. 9 at the Mövenpick Hotel Karachi, bringing together government officials, regulators, banking and fintech executives, e-commerce companies, technology leaders, logistics providers and entrepreneurs to discuss the future of Pakistan’s digital economy.
The daylong summit focused on the opportunities and challenges facing digital commerce and the infrastructure, regulation and collaboration needed to support a more connected and inclusive digital economy.
Kabir Naqvi of ABHI addressed regulation and governance, highlighting the need for frameworks that support innovation while maintaining trust and stability in the digital ecosystem.
The event opened with remarks from Lt. Gen. (Retired) Humayun Aziz, HI(M), and featured keynote addresses, industry panels, a fireside chat, and executive-level chief digital officer and chief information officer roundtables.
Keynote speakers
Sohail Jawad Syed, executive director of the Digital Financial Services Group at the State Bank of Pakistan, delivered the opening keynote, titled “Enabling Pakistan’s Digital Commerce Ecosystem.”
Syed discussed the role of the financial system in supporting digital commerce, including the need to expand digital adoption and strengthen collaboration among stakeholders.
Ahsan Saeed, CEO of RAAST, spoke on “Building the Rails for Digital Commerce,” focusing on the role of digital payment infrastructure in supporting e-commerce and a more connected digital economy.
Panelists discuss cross-border commerce, artificial intelligence, customer data and predictive technologies at the EPL Summit 2026 in Karachi on Sept. 9.
Kabir Naqvi of ABHI addressed regulation and governance, highlighting the need for frameworks that support innovation while maintaining trust and stability in the digital ecosystem.
Joudat Ayaz, additional secretary at the Ministry of Industries and Production, provided a government and industrial policy perspective on digital commerce and Pakistan’s broader economic transformation.
Sajjeed Aslam, partner at Sustainadility, delivered the closing keynote, focusing on sustainability as digital commerce, payments, logistics and technology continue to expand.
E-commerce, payments and consumer trust
The summit featured discussions on some of the key challenges facing Pakistan’s digital commerce sector.
A panel titled “E-Commerce in Pakistan: Growth vs. Ground Reality” examined the challenges of scaling online commerce in Pakistan and other emerging markets, with speakers discussing growth, financial inclusion and industry conditions.
Another session, “The Trust Crisis: Fraud, Scams, Fake Stores & Returns Abuse,” focused on consumer confidence and the challenges posed by fraud, scams, counterfeit online stores, and abuse of return policies.
“The War Between COD and Digital Payments” examined Pakistan’s continued reliance on cash-on-delivery and the factors influencing the adoption of digital payments. Speakers discussed the role of convenience, trust and accessibility in encouraging consumers to shift toward digital transactions.
A digital payments deep dive brought together representatives from the banking, fintech and payments sectors to discuss the infrastructure needed to support the growth of digital transactions.
The summit also examined the role of logistics in e-commerce, with industry leaders discussing delivery infrastructure and the challenges of scaling digital commerce.
A session on cross-border commerce explored opportunities for Pakistani businesses to reach international markets, while a discussion on artificial intelligence, customer data and predictive commerce examined how emerging technologies are changing the way businesses understand customers and make decisions.
Sustainability was also discussed in the context of payments, logistics and digital infrastructure.
A fireside chat on digital financial crime addressed the growing risks associated with financial crime as digital financial activity expands, including the need for stronger security measures, technology and cooperation among stakeholders.
CDO roundtable focuses on intelligent commerce
The CDO Roundtable, titled “The Intelligent Commerce Ecosystem,” brought together senior digital executives from banks, fintech companies, regulators and e-commerce organizations.
The discussion focused on how organizations can use data, artificial intelligence and digital channels to build more integrated and customer-focused services.
Participants discussed the need for greater integration between financial services, commerce and technology, as well as the challenges involved in sharing data and connecting systems across sectors.
The roundtable also highlighted the importance of cross-sector cooperation and data-driven decision-making as Pakistan’s digital economy develops.
CIO roundtable examines digital infrastructure
The CIO Roundtable, “Building the Digital Infrastructure for a Connected Economy,” focused on the technology infrastructure needed to support Pakistan’s e-commerce, payments, logistics and data ecosystems.
Participants discussed secure infrastructure, interoperable systems, technology architecture and data management, emphasizing that digital commerce cannot scale sustainably through isolated platforms.
The discussion highlighted the need for greater integration between commerce, payments and logistics systems, along with reliable technology infrastructure capable of supporting growing digital businesses.
Focus on collaboration
EPL Private Limited organized the summit, with Identity360 Global as the sponsor and ABHI Microfinance Bank as the co-sponsor.
Bookme served as the travel partner, while Nukta was the media partner. Runway Pakistan served as the digital amplification partner.
The participation of organizations from different parts of the digital economy reflected the summit’s focus on collaboration among technology, financial services, e-commerce and logistics companies.
Ghazanfar Ali Khan, CEO of EPL Private Limited, said bringing stakeholders from across the digital economy together was important to identifying common challenges and opportunities for
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