Expansion beyond gold: newly rebranded Asasa eyes to become Pakistan savings ‘super app’

Asasa, a digital gold savings platform that recently rebranded itself from Zariah, plans to expand beyond gold into a broader range of products as it seeks to become a “super app” for savings in Pakistan.

The startup, which has moved from pre-launch development to a controlled rollout in a span of months, sees gold as the first product in a wider strategy aimed at encouraging Pakistanis to save regularly through digital platforms.

“In the near term, we want to make gold savings mainstream by giving millions of Pakistanis an easy, transparent, and affordable way to own gold,” Adil Saleem, Founder and CEO of Asasa, said in an exclusive talk with Business Recorder.

“Over the longer term, we see Asasa evolving into Pakistan’s super app for savings,” he said.

Asasa allows users to purchase gold through its app starting from Rs1,000, with purchases executed at live market-linked prices and customer holdings backed by physical gold, according to Saleem.

The company previously operated under the name Zariah and had planned to allow users to invest in physical 24-karat gold from Rs500 when Business Recorder interviewed Saleem in October 2025. At the time, the platform was still in the pre-launch stage and was exploring discussions with strategic partners and investors.

Saleem said the rebranding to Asasa, derived from the Urdu word “اثاثہ” meaning asset, reflected the company’s broader ambitions beyond its initial digital gold offering.

“The decision was about building a stronger long-term brand. While Zariah helped us bring our vision for digital gold to life, we wanted a name that better reflected our broader vision,” he shared.

While talking about Asasa’s vision, the founder said, “Gold is just the beginning,” as the startup sees itself evolving into a savings platform that could help people build and preserve their financial future through trusted savings products and real assets.

Zariah: the startup that wants to make it easy to invest in gold from Rs500

Saleem said the startup is currently in a controlled rollout phase. “Rather than pursuing rapid growth from day one, we’re focused on validating our operations, gathering customer feedback, and ensuring every part of the experience works reliably as we scale,” he said.

Users join the app through a phased rollout or unlock early access by referring 10 friends, completing identity verification and then can purchase gold through the platform.

“Our objective is to remove the traditional barriers to owning gold, while giving people confidence that they own real, fully-backed gold,” said Saleem.

Asasa has also increased the minimum investment to Rs1,000 from the Rs500 initially envisaged.

“The decision was based on operational efficiency and customer behaviour,” says Saleem.

“As we tested the product with early users, we found that Rs500 didn’t strike the right balance between accessibility and building a meaningful savings habit. Rs1,000 does,” he said.

The company generates revenue through a “small spread” between its buying and selling prices for gold, which it says covers sourcing, technology, operational and maintenance costs.

For Asasa, the longer-term opportunity lies in using gold to introduce consumers to a broader digital savings ecosystem.

“Our role isn’t to replace jewellers, but to solve a different problem,” said Saleem. “Digital ownership makes it possible to start small, avoid those concerns, and buy and sell gold more conveniently.”

Asasa also plans to eventually offer physical delivery, “giving customers the flexibility to convert their digital holdings into physical gold”.

The startup is betting that greater convenience and smaller entry points can help turn saving into a more regular habit, which can help make “disciplined saving a habit for millions of Pakistanis”, said Saleem.