Overview
- Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met Visa CEMEA regional president Tareq Muhmood in Islamabad to discuss accelerating digital payments and financial inclusion.
- Both sides reaffirmed continued collaboration centered on technical engagement, knowledge-sharing, and the digitization of government receipts and expenditures.
- Discussion topics included fraud prevention, QR-based acceptance, cash displacement, expansion beyond major cities, remittances, e-commerce, tourism spending by overseas Pakistanis, and regulated use of blockchain and digital assets.
- Officials highlighted ongoing reforms to payment rails under the State Bank of Pakistan and the role of the Pakistan Digital Authority within the broader IMF-supported reform program.
- Visa noted growing confidence from engagement with banks and fintechs, while no commercial agreements or specific implementation timelines were announced.