Pakistan’s digital payment ecosystem continued its rapid evolution in FY25, with electronic wallets and bank accounts emerging as the dominant method for online transactions. According to the State Bank of Pakistan’s annual Payment Systems Review, 93 percent of online purchases during FY25 were executed through digital wallets and account-based channels, up from 87 percent in FY24, demonstrating accelerated adoption of fintech solutions and growing consumer confidence in app-based transactions.
The central bank’s data shows that Pakistani consumers completed approximately 684 million e-commerce transactions via digital wallets and bank accounts in the fiscal year, while only 52 million online transactions were carried out through credit or debit cards. This widening gap indicates a shifting payment preference landscape where mobile banking, micro-wallet services, and digital banking platforms are now playing an increasingly central role in online purchasing behavior.
Pakistan’s broader retail payment landscape also demonstrated substantial growth. Retail transactions surged to 9.1 billion, with a total settlement value of PKR 612 trillion. This reflects a 38 percent year-on-year rise in transaction volume and a 12 percent increase in value, underscoring nationwide acceleration in digital financial activity and consumer migration toward electronic payment channels.
The share of digital channels in retail payments continued to climb, reaching more than 88 percent in FY25. This represented a notable improvement from 85 percent in FY24 and 78 percent in FY23, driven by widespread adoption of mobile banking apps, internet banking, and electronic wallets. The shift signifies maturing digital infrastructure and increasing reliance on fintech services for day-to-day transactions, bill payments, and online purchases.
While account-based payments led online commerce growth, debit and credit card usage also experienced significant momentum during the year. Card-based payments across domestic and international point-of-sale terminals and online platforms grew 41 percent year-on-year. Consumers completed over 415 million POS transactions and 111 million e-commerce transactions, compared to 287 million and 78 million respectively in FY24. Debit cards accounted for 77 percent of card transactions, underscoring their continued dominance over credit cards in Pakistan’s digital retail environment.
POS infrastructure expansion contributed materially to these gains. Merchant outlets nationwide processed nearly one million card transactions daily. In total, 378 million POS transactions were executed, with a cumulative value of PKR 2.1 trillion, marking annual growth of 39 percent in volume and 37 percent in value. This highlights continued merchant adoption of digital payment acceptance tools and increasing customer preference for contactless and card-based in-store purchases.
QR-code acceptance also witnessed notable traction as an alternative to POS-based payments. During FY25, nearly one million merchants enabled QR payment acceptance, facilitating over 86 million QR-based transactions worth PKR 234 billion. This payment mode remains a key enabler for small merchants and micro-retailers due to its affordability and ease of deployment.
Mobile banking apps continued to lead all digital channels by transaction count. In FY25, bank-provided apps, branchless banking wallets, and EMI apps processed 6.2 billion transactions worth PKR 97 trillion. Internet banking, often preferred for larger transactions, handled 0.3 billion transactions with a total value of PKR 39.2 trillion. Year-on-year, mobile app transactions expanded 52 percent, while internet banking transactions grew 33 percent, reflecting steady digital adoption across both personal and commercial users.
Pakistan’s payment transformation demonstrates growing confidence in regulated digital finance platforms and expanding access to app-based banking services. With rising fintech penetration, multi-channel digital infrastructure, and a shift toward secure electronic payments, the country’s e-commerce and retail payment ecosystem is moving rapidly toward a cash-light future driven by wallets and account-based financial services.
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