Biometric mobile banking has emerged as the cornerstone of Pakistan’s financial inclusion strategy. Pakistan’s digital finance market has moved well beyond the early growth phase. Mobile banking, branchless banking, e-wallets, and Raast now sit at the center of the country’s financial inclusion push. Official SBP data for FY25 shows 24.1 million mobile banking users, 79.2 million branchless banking app users, and 5.8 million EMI wallet users. In the same year, digital channels handled 88% of all retail payment transactions.
Pakistan’s Digital Finance Market Has Scaled Up
The strongest change since 2024 is scale. SBP’s Annual Payment Systems Review says Pakistan processed 9.1 billion retail payments worth Rs 612 trillion in FY25. Mobile apps led that growth, while internet banking users rose to 14.9 million and QR-enabled merchants crossed 1.09 million.
Raast has also become a much bigger part of the system. Since launch through June 2025, it processed 1.9 billion transactions worth Rs 44.3 trillion. SBP also reported 45 million Raast IDs by FY25, showing that instant payments are now part of mainstream retail finance, not a pilot project.
The momentum continued into Q1 FY26. SBP said retail payments rose to 2.8 billion transactions worth Rs 166 trillion, with digital channels accounting for 90% of total retail payment volume. Raast alone handled 544 million transactions worth Rs 12.8 trillion in that quarter.
Why Biometrics Still Matter
Biometric verification remains a core trust layer in Pakistan’s mobile banking system. Under SBP’s consolidated onboarding framework issued in July 2025, regulated entities must conduct NADRA biometric verification using a finger, thumb, iris, or facial recognition before opening an account or wallet. SBP also allows that verification to happen in-app, in-branch, or through other authenticated means.
For remote onboarding, SBP now uses a tiered approach. If biometric verification cannot be completed for genuine reasons, banks may use NADRA Verisys, CNIC-mobile pairing, and OTP or callback checks. Some accounts can still be opened, but they may remain debit-blocked until verification is completed. That design is meant to widen access without dropping core identity controls.
The same logic applies to Asaan Mobile Account. SBP’s AMA guidance says customers can open an account through USSD, but they must complete biometric verification afterward. If they do not, the account is debit-blocked after the allowed period.
Read more: Over 450% increase in mobile banking transactions in Pakistan
Branchless Banking Is Driving Inclusion
Branchless banking remains the biggest inclusion engine in the market. SBP’s July–September 2025 statistics show 141.6 million branchless banking accounts and 64.9 million active accounts. The same dataset shows 44.96 million female account holders, equal to 31.8% of all branchless accounts.
Usage is also rising fast. In that quarter alone, branchless banking processed 2.066 billion transactions worth Rs 9.12 trillion. Pakistan had 757,727 branchless banking agents by the end of September 2025, giving digital finance a wide physical footprint beyond bank branches.
Government disbursements are pushing more users into the system. SBP’s 2024–25 Governor’s Annual Report says six participating institutions opened branchless banking accounts, wallets, or limited-mandate accounts for over 2.5 million beneficiaries under the Ramadan Relief Package 2025. Those users could withdraw funds through agents after biometric verification or continue using digital channels for bills, top-ups, and purchases.
New SBP Reforms Are Changing the Market
Policy also moved sharply in 2025. On July 25, 2025, SBP simplified account opening for individuals and businesses and told banks to keep turnaround time within two days. It also directed regulated entities to equip merchants with at least one digital acceptance solution, including Raast QR, POS, or e-commerce checkout tools.
SBP also formalized the next phase of Raast. It issued Raast Participation Criteria in February 2025, then the federal government approved a Rs 3.5 billion subsidy in September 2025 for Raast P2M QR payments through June 30, 2026. The aim is clear: move more merchants from cash to low-cost digital acceptance.
At the same time, the market structure is evolving. Easypaisa received Pakistan’s first commercial Digital Retail Bank license in January 2025, while SBP later launched its first Regulatory Sandbox cohort for open banking, merchant onboarding, and inward remittance solutions.
What This Means for Financial Inclusion
Pakistan’s digital finance system is no longer being judged only by account openings. SBP launched the Pakistan Financial Inclusion Index in December 2025, putting the country’s overall financial inclusion level at 58.1 for 2024. In March 2026, SBP’s new NFIS 2024–28 set headline targets to raise financial inclusion to 75% and cut the gender gap to 25% by 2028.
The direction is clear. Biometric mobile banking is no longer a niche feature. It is part of Pakistan’s main financial infrastructure, linking digital onboarding, mobile wallets, government transfers, merchant payments, and broader inclusion goals into one system.