ISLAMABAD: A social media post claiming that Pakistan’s central bank, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), has imposed restrictions on credit card payments to international tech giants Google and Facebook has caused concern among individuals in the IT industry and freelancing community.
The original post, shared by a social media influencer named Fatir Siddiqui, stated, “No Facebook and Google payments through credit card,” attributing this information to the SBP.
This announcement led to widespread confusion and worry among social media users, particularly those who rely on credit cards for payments related to Google and Facebook services. Many questioned the authenticity of the claim and requested the source of this information from Siddiqui.
However, Siddiqui did not disclose the source of the information, leaving many social media users in a state of uncertainty.
According to banks, they had not received any instructions from the State Bank of Pakistan regarding the suspension of credit card payments to Google and Facebook. As of now, credit card operations in Pakistan remain unaffected, and individuals can use their credit cards for transactions as per the existing guidelines.
SBP Clarifies Reports About Payments to Google and Facebook
It is worth noting that similar reports emerged last year, suggesting that the SBP had suspended direct carrier billing (DCB) mechanisms for Google Play Store services in Pakistan, causing concern among users. However, the SBP later dismissed these reports as “baseless and misleading.”
1/2 Recent news in some sections of media about stopping certain payments to Google by #SBP, are baseless and misleading. SBP strongly refutes all such assertions. See PR: https://t.co/OOnQBrQVoX pic.twitter.com/Rx11bobDLB
— SBP (@StateBank_Pak) November 26, 2022
In a statement dated November 26, 2022, the central bank clarified that it had specified certain Information Technology (IT)-related services that domestic entities could acquire from abroad for their own use. These entities were allowed to make foreign exchange payments for these services, with a limit of up to USD 100,000 per invoice. The specified services included satellite transponders, international bandwidth, internet, private line services, software licenses, maintenance, support, and services related to electronic media and databases.
Therefore, the SBP has not implemented any new restrictions on credit card payments to Google and Facebook at this time.
