Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday instructed relevant authorities to ensure that all remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis are processed through digital channels.
While chairing a meeting on expanding digital payments and promoting a cashless economy, he commended the government’s economic team for significantly advancing digital financial inclusion. He highlighted a 300% increase over the past year in the number of active merchants accepting QR code-based payments as a major milestone.
PM Shehbaz also welcomed the growth in mobile banking users, noting that the number of people using banking applications had risen from 95 million to 137 million during the same period.
He directed authorities to intensify public awareness campaigns to encourage more businesses to adopt QR code payment systems. He also urged banks and other financial institutions to play a stronger role in accelerating Pakistan’s shift toward digital transactions.
PM Shehbaz further praised the transition of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) disbursements to a fully digital platform, saying the new system offers greater transparency, faster processing, and increased convenience for beneficiaries.
Officials briefing the meeting said that between June 2025 and June 2026, the number of merchants receiving digital payments surged by 300%, reaching 2.003 million.
The meeting was also informed that 99% of payments made to the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) are now processed digitally, while the share of cash transactions has dropped sharply from 71% to just 1%.
According to the briefing, the number of mobile banking application users currently stands at 137 million, while 11.9 billion digital transactions were recorded between July 2025 and June 2026.
The meeting was further told that 92% of remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis during the past year were received through digital channels.
The PM was informed that an independent third-party assessment of the cashless economy initiative is in progress, with the final report and recommendations expected to be presented in November 2026.
Officials also said that the Pakistan Banks’ Association has assigned digital payment targets to member banks, including expanding the use of the Raast instant payment system.
