Minister of State for Railways and Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani led a high-level review meeting at the Finance Division to evaluate the one-year achievements of the government’s ‘Cashless Pakistan’ program. The assessment revealed remarkable growth within the digital payments ecosystem, with annual digital transactions increasing from 6.9 billion to 11.3 billion.
Notably, the number of active digital payment merchants surged from 0.5 million to over 2 million, largely driven by the government’s Raast QR Code initiative. Meanwhile, digital banking users expanded to more than 135 million, reflecting widespread adoption.
Launched in June 2025 under the direct guidance of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the initiative rests on three fundamental pillars: improving public convenience, fostering transparency, and accelerating the formal documentation of the economy through digital payments.
During the meeting, the minister highlighted encouraging strides in financial inclusion, which has reached 69%, alongside a narrowing gender gap due to targeted measures. Progress on public sector digitization was also reviewed, with 25 key federal and provincial entities earmarked for full digitization via Raast by December 2026.
Kayani pointed out advancements in government-to-people (G2P) payments, noting that around 75% of payments are now accepted digitally at both centralized and self-accounting entities. He stressed the need to maintain this momentum to further accelerate Pakistan’s digital transformation.
Reaffirming the government’s dedication, the minister emphasized collaboration with regulators, financial institutions, fintech firms, and the private sector to broaden digital payment adoption, enhance financial inclusion, and support a transparent, documented economy.
To guarantee full transparency and responsible use of public funds, Kayani underscored the importance of validating progress, closing reporting gaps, and eliminating data duplication. A third-party organization has been engaged to conduct assessments ensuring transparency and accountability in the initiative’s implementation.
