ISLAMABAD: The active merchants using digital payments in Pakistan have surged to 2.03 million from just 0.5 million, already exceeding the government’s target of 2 million by June 2026, State Minister for Finance Bilal Azhar Kiyani said here Thursday. Talking to high-level delegation of Gates Foundation, the state minister attributed the rapid growth to measures aimed at encouraging digital payment adoption, including a PKR 3.5 billion government subsidy for Raast QR, which he said has helped drive wider adoption and behavioural change. The delegation comprising Dr Anita Zaidi, President of the Gender Equality Division and Dr Kalpana Kochhar, Interim President of the Global Policy & Advocacy Division and other senior officials, called on minister to review progress on Pakistan’s digital transformation agenda. APP
