The government plans to establish a centralized merchant database to enhance real-time visibility of digital transactions, as part of its push to expand Pakistan’s cashless economy.
The proposal was discussed at a high-level review meeting chaired by Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani at the Finance Division on September 2, held to prepare for the upcoming Prime Minister’s Cashless Initiative review.
The Minister reviewed progress on the Prime Minister’s prior directives and outlined key priorities to accelerate Pakistan’s digital financial transformation.
A central objective was to review last year’s progress and initiate the annual performance target setting for the national Cashless Dashboard for the current fiscal year, as well as introduce new analytical indicators to improve real-time monitoring and data transparency.
The meeting evaluated last year’s growth across active digital merchants, total digital transaction volumes, and overall digital banking users. It also assessed progress on digitizing government payments across State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and autonomous bodies, reiterating the objective to fully digitize all vendor, employee, and pension payouts.
Committee members discussed strategies to expand merchant adoption nationwide and proposed establishing a centralized merchant database to enhance real-time transaction visibility. They also emphasized streamlining user journeys so citizens can seamlessly pay digitally across every touchpoint.
Highlighting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s vision, Minister Kayani reaffirmed the government’s commitment to building a transparent, documented, and inclusive economy. He noted that regular progress reviews will continue to ensure swift execution and maximum convenience for the public.
The meeting brought together senior officials from the Ministry of Finance, State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), NADRA, Capital Development Authority (CDA), Ministry of IT & Telecommunication, and private sector stakeholders.
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