The Government of Pakistan has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating the country’s transition towards a cashless and digitally enabled economy, focusing on expanding financial inclusion, strengthening digital payment infrastructure, and improving access to formal financial services for individuals and small businesses. The announcement followed a high-level meeting at the Finance Division, which reviewed progress on the national digitization agenda, including development of digital infrastructure, payment systems, and the digitization of government-related payments.
The meeting was chaired by Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb and attended by Mr. Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International and Senior Vice President of Ant Group; Mr. Irfan Wahab Khan, Chairman of Easypaisa Digital Bank; and Mr. Jahabzeb Khan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Easypaisa Digital Bank.
During the session, Senator Aurangzeb highlighted the critical role digital banks and fintech platforms can play in enabling inclusive credit and targeted lending, particularly for underserved sectors such as small farmers. He stressed that scalable digital platforms are essential to broaden agriculture lending and improve the sustainability of financial access initiatives. The finance minister also emphasized the importance of diversifying the investor base for domestic public debt and reducing distribution costs by enabling retail participation through digital platforms, allowing citizens to invest in government securities through accessible and secure channels.
The delegation expressed strong support for Pakistan’s digital economy agenda, noting that the expansion of digital payments and financial services can help document economic activity, broaden the tax base, and improve operational efficiency. Discussions focused on scaling QR-code merchant acceptance, enhancing cross-border and wallet-based payments, and strengthening customer education to encourage greater adoption of digital financial solutions.
Mr. Irfan Wahab Khan shared that Easypaisa is progressively evolving from a payments-focused platform to a broader financial services provider, with an emphasis on financial inclusion, customer education, and the development of savings and wealth management offerings. The meeting also covered regulatory considerations for virtual assets to ensure consumer protection and compliance, as well as exploring opportunities in tokenization to support the development of capital markets in Pakistan.
Senator Aurangzeb briefed the delegation on Pakistan’s macroeconomic stabilization progress and reform priorities, including tax base expansion, energy sector reforms, state-owned enterprises, and privatization. He underscored the need to translate economic stability into investment-led growth. Mr. Douglas Feagin emphasized that expanding digital payments and digital finance can strengthen documentation of economic activity and support tax base expansion, citing successful outcomes in international markets.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to continue collaboration on merchant digitization, customer education, QR-code acceptance, and access to regulated savings and investment products. The minister invited concrete proposals from Easypaisa and Ant International to advance the government’s digitization agenda, reflecting a coordinated effort to drive Pakistan’s financial ecosystem toward greater efficiency, inclusion, and modernization.
This partnership highlights Pakistan’s strategic focus on leveraging technology and fintech innovations to promote a cashless economy, empower underserved communities, and provide citizens with secure and accessible digital financial services nationwide.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
