ISLAMABAD(National Times)-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.
The meeting was briefed that 92pc of remittance funds were received digitally during the past year.
Workers’ remittances are seen as the single most critical stabilising force for Pakistan’s external sector, with the inflows reaching a record $41.6 billion in the last fiscal year.
The government last month also expanded the scope of its Roshan Digital Account (RDA) framework, opening the scheme initially meant for overseas Pakistanis to foreign nationals and investors.
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 meeting was further informed that the number of mobile banking app users currently stood at 137m, and that 11.9bn digital transactions were recorded between July 2025 and June 2026, the PMO said.
Third-party validation regarding the cashless economy was ongoing, and the final report with recommendations will be presented in November, the PMO statement said.
The Pakistan Banking Association has set targets for member banks to promote digital payments, including the Raast system.
Cabinet members attending the meeting included Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, and Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani.
State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Jameel Ahmad, Nadra Chairman Lt Gen Muhammad Munir Afsar, and senior officials from relevant institutions were also present.
In a bid to promote a cashless economy, PM Shehbaz had formed a high-level committee in June last year.
The prime minister has emphasised the need to implement digital transaction systems across the country, insisting that it was vital to bring transparency to the economy
