Islamabad: Minister of State for Railways and Finance, Bilal Azhar Kayani, conducted a high-level meeting centered on digital payments under the “Cashless Pakistan” initiative at the Finance Division. This meeting, a follow-up to the Prime Minister’s recent session on the initiative, aimed to evaluate the progress of the decisions taken by the Cashless Committee.

According to Press Information Department, the meeting focused on refining the Raast QR MDR scheme framework and enhancing the Prime Minister’s Dashboard to include crucial digital payment indicators like volume, value, and unique account users. Discussions also covered expanding digital payments, reflecting the progress of the initiative, including training for Drawing and Disbursing Officers for the Raast digital system payments from November 16, a rise in active digital payment-accepting merchants from 0.5 million to 2.03 million, and the inclusion of Raast QR codes on over 45 million utility bills and at all NADRA centers.

The Minister directed the State Bank of Pakistan to prepare a working paper for the Raast QR MDR scheme’s approval to promote its use further. Additionally, meetings with bank leaders in Karachi are planned to discuss and enhance the digital payments initiative.

The session included representatives from the Finance Division, State Bank of Pakistan, Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, and NADRA, along with private sector leaders from Easypaisa Digital Bank, JazzCash, Bank Alfalah, and other institutions. The Minister emphasized the importance of strengthening public-private coordination to meet the initiative’s goals.