Rifah Qadri, Marketing and Corporate Communications at easypaisa
An award-winning marketing leader with 18 years of experience across fintech, tech, retail and food services. Currently heading Marketing and Corporate Communications at easypaisa. Rifah Qadri is known for driving purpose-led campaigns and shaping some of Pakistan’s most recognised brands. Her work blends strategic insight with creativity, often inspired by a passion for travel and storytelling.
Synergyzer: With experience across technology, retail and finance, what sparked your journey into marketing? How has this diverse background shaped your leadership at easypaisa, especially in fintech?
Rifah Qadri: My journey into marketing was not planned; it was instinctive. I have always been curious about people. What moves them, or compels them to choose one product over another. How emotion intersects with decision-making.
I began in core B2B marketing and later transitioned into more consumer-oriented roles in retail. Where marketing is close to the customer, fast-paced and highly measurable. From there, I moved into tech, eventually landing in fintech, which is where I feel most energised.
Today, I would define myself as a purpose-driven brand leader. Someone who believes that commercial success and social impact are not mutually exclusive. Having worked across multiple industries. I have learned to adapt quickly, ask the right questions, and build customer-centric strategies that are both intuitive and data-led.
At easypaisa, that has meant creating work that is culturally relevant, insight-led, and built to serve, not just sell. Our campaigns don’t simply advertise financial products; they aim to change behaviour, challenge societal norms, and build trust in a category that is still evolving.
Synergyzer: How do you see the role of mobile banking evolving in Pakistan’s financial ecosystem, particularly amongst youth and women?
Rifah Qadri: Mobile banking in Pakistan is not just a convenience; it is a gateway to empowerment. For the youth, it offers accessibility and autonomy; for women, it can be a lifeline to financial independence. We’re witnessing a shift where mobile wallets are rapidly becoming the first bank account for many young people. And increasingly, a woman’s only access to formal finance.
The future of mobile banking in Pakistan lies in personalisation and relevance. It is about creating and developing products and campaigns that understand real-world challenges and address genuine pain points. At easypaisa, we are actively working to localise innovation so that banking becomes more than just digital, it becomes indispensable.
Synergyzer: The ‘Audio Nikahnama’ campaign has received global recognition. What inspired you to choose such a sensitive yet crucial topic? And how did you and your team approach the creative challenge of transforming the traditionally private Nikahnama into a public conversation about women’s financial rights?
Rifah Qadri: The inspiration came from a simple yet powerful observation. Most women in Pakistan don’t fully understand the Nikahnama. Many cannot read, let alone comprehend their rights within it, especially the financial ones. This silence around a legal document that profoundly impacts their lives needed to be challenged.
We knew the topic was sensitive, but we also knew it was necessary. We collaborated with legal experts, activists, and storytellers to ensure we’re not just creating a campaign; we were creating a tool for real-world change. The Audio Nikahnama was designed to be accessible, neutral in tone, and legally accurate. What made the campaign special was that it did not just spark conversation. It sparked action across communities and even within policy circles.
Synergyzer: Financial literacy is a major hurdle in Pakistan. What role do you believe easypaisa can play in promoting financial education, especially for underserved communities?
Rifah Qadri: As Pakistan’s first digital bank and leading digital financial services platform. easypaisa has both the reach and the responsibility to lead the charge on financial literacy. We are already present in places where traditional banks aren’t, and that gives us a unique opportunity to educate at scale. Our role is to simplify finance and make it feel human. That means using storytelling and real-life scenarios to explain concepts like savings, credit, insurance and digital security. Whether it’s through short-form video content, partnerships with NGOs, or gamified learning within the app, our goal is to make financial literacy feel like an everyday conversation, rather than a lecture.
Synergyzer: What are some key steps easypaisa is taking to ensure the safety and security of transactions for its users, especially given the rise in cyber threats?
Rifah Qadri: Security is fundamental to trust, and trust is everything in fintech. At easypaisa, we take a multi-layered approach to security, which includes real-time fraud monitoring, biometric verification and robust internal protocols. But technology alone is not enough. We also place a strong emphasis on user education, because sometimes the weakest link is often human behaviour. And run awareness campaigns on phishing, One-Time Password (OTP) scams and safe digital practices. Also, we aim to empower users, as well as protect them.
Synergyzer: What marketing challenges do you face while promoting mobile banking services in a society where cash transactions are still dominant?
Rifah Qadri: The biggest challenge is behavioural. Cash is habitual; it’s tangible, trusted and deeply embedded in daily life. Shifting people to digital requires more than just advertising; it demands trust-building and demystification. We tackle this by combining large-scale campaigns with grassroots activations, and by partnering with local influencers and retailers whom people already trust. We also focus on use cases, showing how digital solutions address real problems, like sending money home, paying bills instantly, or saving with ease. It is about demonstrating relevance before selling convenience.
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Synergyzer: Marketing today is deeply intertwined with social causes. How do you strike a balance between brand objectives and creating campaigns that drive real social impact?
Rifah Qadri: For me, there’s no trade-off. The most powerful brands are those that stand for something beyond their products. When purpose and business objectives align—that is where the magic happens.
At easypaisa, our best-performing campaigns are often the ones rooted in social insight. Whether it is challenging gender norms or promoting financial rights, we’ve seen that audiences respond to honesty and bravery. The key is to be authentic, choose causes that are genuinely linked to your brand’s role in society, and then act on them with consistency, not opportunism.
