KARACHI – June 26, 2025: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has reported continued momentum in the country’s digital payments landscape, with significant growth in both transaction volumes and value during the third quarter of FY25. According to the central bank’s latest Quarterly Payment Systems Review, retail digital transactions surged by 12% in volume and 8% in value compared to the previous quarter.
During Q3 FY25, total retail transactions climbed to 2.4 billion, amounting to PKR 164 trillion in value. Notably, 89% of these transactions were conducted through digital channels, reflecting the growing adoption of technology-driven financial solutions across Pakistan.
Mobile applications—including banking apps and e-wallets—led the charge, processing 1.7 billion transactions worth PKR 27 trillion. This marks a 16% increase in transaction volume and a 22% rise in value. Mobile banking users grew by 7% to 22.6 million, while e-money users rose 12% to 5.3 million. Branchless wallet users reached 68.5 million, showing a 6% increase.
E-commerce also witnessed impressive growth, with transaction volumes jumping 40% to 213 million and value increasing 34% to PKR 258 billion. Digital wallets accounted for 94% of all e-commerce payments, underscoring their dominant role in the online retail space.
In-store digital payments via Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals reached 99 million transactions valued at PKR 550 billion. Over 140,000 merchants are now actively processing payments through POS systems. Meanwhile, QR code-based payments rose to 21.7 million transactions, totaling PKR 61 billion.
SBP’s own digital infrastructure continued to play a pivotal role in the evolving payments ecosystem. Raast, the country’s instant payment system, processed 371 million transactions worth PKR 8.5 trillion in Q3. Since its launch, Raast has handled 1.5 billion transactions amounting to PKR 34 trillion. Additionally, the Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system processed PKR 347 trillion in large-value payments through 1.5 million transactions during the quarter.
The SBP attributed this progress to its ongoing digital finance strategy and strong collaboration between banks, fintech companies, and payment service providers. The central bank reaffirmed its commitment to fostering financial inclusion and enhancing payment system efficiency across Pakistan.
