ISLAMABAD: A delegation from the Gates Foundation met with Pakistan’s Minister of State for Finance, Bilal Azhar Kayani, to discuss the country’s digital transformation efforts. The meeting focused on the advancements made under the Cashless Pakistan initiative, which aims to enhance digital payments and merchant adoption of Raast QR technology.

According to Radio Pakistan, the delegation, which included Dr. Anita Zaidi, President of the Gender Equality Division, and Dr. Kalpana Kochhar, Interim President of the Global Policy & Advocacy Division, received a briefing from the Minister on the significant growth in digital payment activities. The number of active merchants utilizing digital payments has increased from 0.5 million to 2.03 million, illustrating a substantial shift towards cashless transactions. The Minister also highlighted the rise in digital banking users and improvements in financial inclusion, particularly the narrowing gender gap in access to financial services.

The discussions also covered the government’s broader economic reform plans aimed at formalizing the economy to support fiscal sustainability. Emphasis was placed on the newly introduced “Asaan Tax Scheme,” which is designed to bring small traders into the formal economy through incentives and voluntary registration. The Gates Foundation delegation expressed their support for Pakistan’s digitization efforts and pledged ongoing assistance through Karandaaz.