The number of QR-enabled merchants in Pakistan more than tripled (3.5x) to 3.8 million during fiscal year 2025-26, up from 1.1 million a year earlier.
According to State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data, QR-enabled merchants processed 297 million transactions worth Rs. 1.6 trillion during FY26.
This means merchants processed around 0.8 million QR transactions per day, with the average daily value reaching approximately Rs. 5.5 billion.
In FY25, QR-based transactions totaled more than 86 million with a combined value of Rs. 234 billion.
The sharp increase in QR payments and merchant adoption was supported by the government’s subsidy program under the Prime Minister’s Cashless Pakistan Initiative.
The government allocated Rs. 3.5 billion for the program and offered a subsidy equal to 0.5 percent of the value of each eligible transaction, subject to a maximum of Rs. 100 per transaction.
The subsidy was divided equally between the merchant’s financial institution and the customer’s financial institution, covering the acquiring and issuing institutions.
Financial institutions were also allowed to charge up to 0.25 percent of the transaction value for merchant onboarding and servicing.
The expansion is expected to encourage more traders and consumers to shift from cash to digital payments at points of sale.
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