Growing use of mobile apps, internet banking, and Raast reflects increasing public confidence in digital financial services across Pakistan
Pakistan digital payments continued to grow strongly during the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest quarterly report on payment systems released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
The report showed that 3.7 billion retail transactions worth PKR 168.8 trillion were processed through formal banking and payment channels between January and March 2026. These figures only include transactions made through the banking and payment system.
Digital channels accounted for 92% of all retail payments during the quarter. These channels include mobile banking apps, internet banking, USSD services, ATMs, point of sale (POS) terminals, e-commerce platforms, and call center banking services. The total number of retail transactions increased by 9% compared to the previous quarter.
The volume of digital payments reached 3.4 billion transactions with a total value of PKR 68 trillion. This growth highlights the increasing use of digital payment methods across the country. Mobile banking apps remained the most popular payment channel. Customers carried out 2.9 billion transactions through apps offered by banks, branchless banking providers, and electronic money institutions (EMIs).
Mobile app transactions made up 78% of all digital payments and were valued at PKR 42 trillion. These payments supported services such as money transfers, bill payments, online shopping, and merchant payments at retail stores. Internet banking also showed steady growth. Transaction volume increased by 5%, while transaction value rose by 19% during the quarter.
Read more: SBP introduces Raast for instant and free P2P payments
SBP Raast Instant Payment System maintained its strong growth trend. Raast processed 742.1 million transactions worth PKR 23.3 trillion during the quarter. Person to person (P2P) transfers reached 664 million transactions, up 10% from the previous quarter, with a value of PKR 18.9 trillion. Person to merchant (P2M) transactions also increased significantly, rising to 55.9 million from 36.3 million in the previous quarter.
Traditional banking channels continued to play an important role in serving customers. A total of 20,232 bank branches and 819,397 banking agents provided over the counter services, including cash deposits, withdrawals, fund transfers, and bill payments. Bank branches handled 128 million transactions worth PKR 99.5 trillion, while banking agents processed 155 million transactions valued at PKR 1.1 trillion.
The latest figures show that Pakistan is steadily moving toward a more digital and inclusive payment ecosystem. The growing use of mobile apps, internet banking, and Raast reflects increasing public confidence in digital financial services.
