Pakistan’s financial inclusion index rises to 59.5 in 2025 as digital banking expands

The State Bank of Pakistan said on Wednesday that its Financial Inclusion Index climbed to 59.5 for calendar year 2025, up from 58.1 a year earlier. According to the central bank, the gain of 1.4 points reflects better use of financial products, wider reach and higher quality of services, with usage delivering the biggest share of the rise.

The SBP credited the National Financial Inclusion Strategy for 2024 to 2028 with supporting the advance, pointing to growth in Raast merchant onboarding and payments, the arrival of new digital banks, and drives to open accounts. Consumer orientation and financial literacy were also cited as reinforcing the trend. Progress was also visible in access and quality, though the bank did not release their scores or the size of their gains.

The release left out account ownership figures, merchant counts, digital banking customer numbers and transaction data, along with breakdowns by gender, province, income group or urban and rural areas. The index ties the rise to digital payments and account access under a strategy running through 2028, though the detailed data needed to measure their scale has not been published.