Government to commission independent audit of Cashless Economy Initiative 2025

The federal government has decided on an independent review and audit of its Cashless Economy Initiative 2025, aimed at evaluating the initiative’s design, implementation, impact, and governance mechanisms, according to a news report.  

The national program seeks to transition government systems and the wider economy towards digital payments, with objectives including improved transparency, increased financial inclusion, enhanced public service delivery, an expanded tax base, and reduced transaction leakages.

The audit will cover compliance with directives and national policies, feasibility of targets against existing regulatory, institutional, and technological capacities, effectiveness of implementation strategies, resource allocation, and coordination mechanisms. 

It will also review the performance of oversight committees, monitor internal and external evaluation systems, and examine quantitative progress including the number of users, merchants, transaction volumes, geographic coverage, Raast and QR-code payments, digital wallet adoption, and public-sector digital transactions.

The consultancy will provide actionable recommendations to strengthen current and future phases of the initiative, suggest improvements for timely execution, and advise on new measures to further advance the Cashless Pakistan agenda.

Earlier, a high-level committee chaired by the prime minister was formed in June 2025 to oversee the initiative, conducting weekly progress reviews and issuing directives and a roadmap for all implementing agencies. 

Three functional committees—focused on Digital Payments Innovation and Adoption, Digital Public Infrastructure, and Government Payments—have been established to drive implementation and ensure coordination across public and private institutions.

Key elements of the initiative include digitising government-to-person (G2P) and person-to-government (P2G) payments, onboarding retailers to digital payment methods, and establishing essential digital infrastructure. 

To ensure the program meets its targets, the government will engage a qualified consultancy firm through an international competitive bidding process to conduct a comprehensive performance audit.