Kissan Gudam and aik by BankIslami launched KissanPay on Thursday at the Pakistan Agriculture Connections Expo 2026, describing it as Pakistan’s first Shariah-compliant agri-fintech platform. A Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan attended the launch ceremony, where the first financing under the new platform was also disbursed.
The platform connects crop storage with interest-free farm financing. Farmers can store their produce at Kissan Gudam facilities and borrow against it, instead of selling immediately after harvest when prices are at their lowest.
How KissanPay works for farmers: KissanPay Shariah-compliant agri-fintech
KissanPay is built around electronic warehouse receipts. A farmer deposits grain at a Kissan Gudam storage facility and receives a digital receipt for the stored quantity. The platform then lets the farmer draw financing against that receipt, with the stored crop serving as collateral.
This model addresses a long-standing problem in Pakistani agriculture. Farmers often sell their harvest straight away, at depressed post-harvest prices, because they need cash to repay debts and buy inputs for the next season. Poor on-farm storage means keeping crops at home risks weight loss and quality damage. KissanPay lets them hold the harvest in proper storage while still accessing credit.
The financing is structured to comply with Shariah principles, meaning no interest is charged on the credit extended against stored commodities. BankIslami has prior experience in this space: it was the first Islamic bank in the country to offer Shariah-compliant financing against electronic warehouse receipts.
Backed by aik and storage infrastructure
The platform pairs aik, BankIslami’s digital Islamic banking arm, with Kissan Gudam’s post-harvest storage network. Kissan Gudam is a venture of the Hajisons Group and uses hermetic storage technology from GrainPro to cut post-harvest losses.
Kissan Gudam has been building this ecosystem for some time. Earlier this year it entered a partnership with Karandaaz Pakistan to combine modern storage, digital financial services, and direct market access for smallholder farmers.
Through KissanPay, farmers will be able to store crops securely, access financing without mortgaging land, and sell through the platform when market prices improve. The digital layer handles receipts, financing records, and settlements in one place.
Why it matters for farm credit
Access to formal credit remains one of the weakest links in Pakistani agriculture. Smallholders, especially those farming leased land, are often shut out of bank lending because they cannot offer land as collateral. Commodity-backed financing removes that barrier by using the harvest itself as security.
Electronic warehouse receipt financing is already recognised internationally as a tool for financial inclusion in agriculture. By making the product fully digital and Shariah-compliant, KissanPay targets two large segments at once: farmers who need credit without distress sales, and customers who prefer interest-free banking.
The attendance of an SBP Deputy Governor at the launch signals regulatory interest in scaling digital agri-finance. The central bank has been pushing banks to digitise agriculture lending and extend formal credit deeper into rural areas.
FAQs
What is KissanPay?
KissanPay is a digital agri-fintech platform launched by Kissan Gudam and aik by BankIslami. It allows farmers to store crops in warehouses and borrow against electronic warehouse receipts, with all financing structured under Shariah-compliant terms.
Who can use KissanPay?
Farmers who store their produce at Kissan Gudam facilities can use the platform. It is particularly relevant for smallholders and farmers on leased land who cannot offer land as collateral for bank loans.
How is KissanPay different from existing agri-fintech platforms?
Its backers describe it as Pakistan’s first agri-fintech platform that is fully Shariah-compliant, combining digital banking from aik by BankIslami with Kissan Gudam’s storage infrastructure and electronic warehouse receipt financing.
When was KissanPay launched?
KissanPay was launched on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the Pakistan Agriculture Connections Expo 2026, with the first financing disbursed at the launch event.
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Originally reported by TechX Pakistan.
