Pakistan is accelerating its shift toward a cashless economy by mandating QR code on all electricity, gas, and telephone bills from 2025. This move will allow seamless digital payments through mobile apps and wallets, making bill payments faster, safer, and more transparent.
The decision was finalized in a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. It also coincides with the planned launch of the Digital Payment Index Pakistan in August 2025, which will track the growth of digital transactions nationwide.
Efforts for QR Code Integration
To execute this initiative, a dedicated team led by the Secretary of Petroleum and Natural Resources will design the implementation mechanism within a month. This push isn’t limited to household bills—petrol stations across Pakistan, including in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, will also need to support QR codes, Point of Sale (PoS), and soft PoS systems as a condition for licensing.
Legal frameworks will be updated by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to ensure all service providers are able to accept digital payments. The Right of Way charges for building digital infrastructure are also being waived by the CDA, Pakistan Railways, and the National Highway Authority to speed up connectivity upgrades.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) is backing the shift by raising the subsidy ceiling for digital transactions to Rs 3.5 billion and capping the Merchant Discount Rate at 0.25%. It has set ambitious goals for 2026: grow active digital payment points to 2 million (up from 0.5 million), increase digital banking users from 95 million to 120 million, and double digital transactions to 15 billion.
All incoming remittances will also be directly credited into users’ bank accounts or digital wallets, ending all forms of over-the-counter cash payouts.
This initiative builds on Pakistan’s Raast system, launched in 2022, which allows instant and interoperable QR code-based payments between individuals and merchants.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, July 28th, 2025
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