Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directs that overseas remittances be fully digitised as part of the government’s push for a cashless, digital payments-based economy. The order is issued during a meeting in Islamabad focused on promoting cashless transactions and digital payments, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. The Prime Minister tells authorities to make awareness campaigns more effective to encourage merchants to accept digital payments, including through QR codes, and to digitise remittances from abroad to 100%. The meeting also reviews recent progress. The PM highlights a reported increase of 300% in the number of active merchants using QR-code payments over the past year, and says the number of mobile banking app users has risen from 95 million to 137 million. He also emphasizes broader transparency and sustainable growth linked to shifting away from cash. The briefing notes that BISP payments are moving to digital systems, and that payments to 10 million beneficiaries are handled through digital wallets. It also cites a near-complete digitisation of Nadra payments and a sharp reduction in cash payments, alongside the expanded use of digital transactions by merchants.
Shehbaz orders full digitisation of overseas remittances to support cashless economy
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directs that overseas remittances be fully digitised as part of the government’s push for a cashless, digital payments-based economy. The order is issued during a meeting...
- Shehbaz Sharif directs digitisation of overseas remittances to reach 100%.
- The directive is issued during a meeting on promoting a cashless economy and digital payments in Islamabad.
- The government reports expanded QR-code digital payments, including a 300% increase in active merchants over the past year.
- Mobile banking app users reportedly rise from 95 million to 137 million in a year.
- BISP payments are described as shifted to digital wallets, with payments to about 10 million beneficiaries moving to a digital system.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed that remittances from abroad be fully digitised as the government aims to achieve a cashless and digital economy. The premier issued the directives during a meeting he chaired in Islamabad on promoting a cashless economy and digital payments. “The prime minister directed that awareness campaigns to encourage merchants toward digital payments via QR codes be made more effective, and that remittances from abroad be digitised to 100 per cent,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. PM Shehbaz commended the economic team’s performance for the progress made over the past year in “transforming Pakistan’s economy into a cashless, digital payments-based system”. According to the PMO, the premier stressed that transitioning the national economy to a cashless system would lead to sustainable economic growth and enhanced transparency. He lauded the economic team for achieving a 300pc increase over the past year in the number of active merchants using QR codes for digital payments. During the meeting, PM Shehbaz also noted that the number of mobile banking app users had increased from 95 million to 137m in a year, terming it a “significant achievement”. He called for banks and financial institutions to play a comprehensive role in promoting a cashless economy. Moreover, the prime minister also commended the shifting of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) payments to a digital system, describing it as “transparent, swift, and convenient for beneficiaries”. In a briefing during the meeting, the premier was told that all payments to 10m BISP users were now being made through digital wallets. In a briefing on the progress on measures for a cashless economy, the premier was informed that the number of merchants receiving payments digitally rose by 300pc between June 2025 and June 2026 to reach two million, the PMO said. The briefing revealed that 99pc of the National Database and Registration Authority’s (Nadra) payments had been digitised, as cash payments had dropped from 71pc to just 1pc. The number of mobile banking app users currently stood at 137m, it was revealed. More to follow
3 hours agoSays a cashless economy will boost transparency and sustainable growth, urging wider adoption of digital payments
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