Digital payments dominate Pakistan’s retail transactions with 92% share

According to Mettis Global, the State Bank of Pakistan's annual report on payment systems shows that digital channels handled 92% of retail payment transactions in fiscal year 2025-26, up from 88% in FY25. Retail payments made through formal banking channels totalled 14.3 billion transactions worth Rs673 trillion. Transaction volume rose 58% year on year, while the value of payments grew 10%.

Digital payments totalled 13.2 billion transactions during the year, a 65% jump from the previous year. Mobile phone-based solutions processed over 11.1bn transactions, up 79%, while internet banking portals handled about 0.3bn, growing 15%. The point-of-sale network expanded to 337,791 terminals at 295,367 merchant locations, and card payments averaged nearly 1.5 million a day against roughly 1.0 million before.

The report also highlighted PRISM+, launched in August 2025 as an upgraded real-time gross settlement system built on the ISO 20022 standard. Branchless banking app users climbed to 99.1 million, and users of banks' mobile applications reached 30.4 million. The central bank said it continues to prioritise secure, efficient and inclusive payment systems.