First Data, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment services, today announced the opening of an office in Karachi, Pakistan, and the appointment of Mr. Khurram Gul Agha as its country manager.
Entry into the fast growing Pakistan market reflects First Data's strategy of developing a local presence in major markets around the world to deliver its global payments solutions. First Data offers a full range of payment card and loan processing services, merchant acquiring solutions, ATM and point-of-sale management, fraud and risk management as well as other value-added services to Pakistan's financial institutions and major retail organizations.
Brian Quarrie, managing director of First Data in the Middle East, commented, "A buoyant economy in Pakistan has driven strong growth in consumer finance during the last five years, with card spending growing at more than 30 percent per year in the last three years. Opening the office in Pakistan demonstrates our commitment to this emerging market."
Mr. Agha is a seasoned executive with deep knowledge of Pakistan's payments and collections market. He specializes in transactional banking for the corporate and retail sectors. Mr. Agha joins First Data from UBL where he was the executive vice president responsible for cash management, financial institutions and home remittances. He attended Binghamton University in the United States, where he majored in computer science and mathematics. He has previously worked for Citibank and TCS Pakistan.
The Pakistan business will be a part of First Data's Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) operations.