The promise of digital payments (opens original article in a new tab)

Digital payments in Pakistan have rapidly transformed the economy, with significant growth in digital transaction channels and automatic documentation of financial activities.

• Digital payments in Pakistan grew significantly from 2010 to 2025, with 88% of retail payments using digital channels in FY25.
• Branchless banking and mobile banking users reached 79.2 million and 24.1 million respectively by FY25.
• POS machines and QR-enabled merchants increased by 260% and over 1 million respectively between FY17 and FY25.
• Digital payments now create automatic transaction records, improving economic documentation without requiring voluntary compliance.