Pakistan’s financial system added more than 6.8 million new unique bank accounts during 2025. Women opened 55% of these new accounts, according to the State Bank of Pakistan’s first annual progress report on the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) 2024–2028.
State Bank of Pakistan reported that all annual targets under the strategy were achieved in its first year. As a result, Pakistan’s financial inclusion rate rose to 69%. In addition, the gender gap in financial access narrowed to 29%.
This growth reflects Pakistan’s ongoing shift toward digital banking and formal financial services. Moreover, the country expanded access through digital payment systems and improved financial infrastructure across urban and rural areas.
A major milestone during the year came from the rollout of Raast Person-to-Merchant payments. This system enabled more than two million merchants to accept digital payments through QR codes. As a result, cashless transactions increased across small and medium businesses.
The State Bank also introduced district-level dashboards to track financial access, deposits, and lending activity. This step improved transparency and allowed better monitoring of financial inclusion trends across regions.
In addition, Pakistan launched the Zarkhez Asaan Digital Qarza platform. This system supports digital agricultural lending and connects farmers with financial institutions. Around 21 banks joined the platform. Meanwhile, nearly 22,000 farmers registered and secured financing approvals worth Rs1.9 billion.
Furthermore, the central bank introduced a digital scorecard model to expand access to affordable housing finance. This system aims to support underserved groups and improve credit availability.
Out of 52 planned actions under the NFIS, authorities completed 10 by the end of 2025. The remaining reforms continue to progress on schedule.
Going forward, the State Bank plans to expand agent interoperability and introduce digitally enabled model villages. It will also improve district-level reporting and revise branch licensing rules. Overall, these measures aim to bring more people and small businesses into the formal financial system.
