Islamabad: A high-level delegation from the Gates Foundation, comprising President of the Gender Equality Division Dr. Anita Zaidi and Interim President of the Global Policy and Advocacy Division Dr. Kalpana Kochhar, called on Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani in Islamabad to review progress on Pakistan's digital transformation agenda.
According to Radio Pakistan, the Minister briefed the delegation about the progress on the Cashless Pakistan initiative, launched under the Prime Minister's direct supervision. He highlighted the rapid scale-up in digital payments and merchant adoption of Raast QR. The number of active merchants using digital payments has grown from 0.5 million to 2.03 million. Updates on rising digital transactions, growing digital banking users, and improving financial inclusion were shared, particularly noting the narrowing gender gap in access to financial services. The Minister reaffirmed the government's commitment to expanding transparency and efficiency in public payments.
The Minister of State also discussed the government's broader economic reform agenda, emphasizing the need to document and formalize the economy to strengthen fiscal sustainability. He highlighted the newly introduced 'Asaan Tax Scheme' for small traders, which is designed to bring merchants into the formal economy through incentive-based, voluntary registration rather than enforcement alone.
The Gates Foundation delegation endorsed the progress made to digitize Pakistan's economy and assured their continued support through Karandaaz.