Cashless Dashboard set for new targets, real-time indicators

Mettis Link News reported, citing a press release, that Pakistan's Cashless Dashboard will receive annual performance goals for the current fiscal year. New analytical indicators are also planned to sharpen live oversight and the clarity of data. The announcement followed a high-level meeting at the Finance Division that prepared for the upcoming Prime Minister's Cashless Initiative review, chaired by Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani.

Officials from the Finance Ministry, the SBP, NADRA, the Capital Development Authority, the IT and Telecommunication Ministry and private sector stakeholders attended. The session assessed last year's growth in active digital merchants, total digital transaction volumes and digital banking users. Progress on moving payments by state-owned enterprises and autonomous bodies to digital channels was reviewed, with officials restating that every vendor, staff and pension disbursement should go digital.

Participants discussed ways to widen merchant adoption across the country, and a proposal was made for a centralised merchant database to improve how transactions can be tracked as they happen. Making it easier for citizens to pay digitally at every touchpoint was also stressed. Minister Kayani said regular progress reviews will continue to ensure quick implementation, and he reaffirmed a commitment to an economy that is open, documented and inclusive.