Cashless economy can reduce informal sector, boost tax compliance

August 13, 2024 (MLN): The transition towards a cashless society can significantly impact Pakistan’s economy by reducing the informal sector, improving tax compliance, and fostering financial inclusion, Chief Experience Officer at JazzCash, Ali Irfan stated while addressing the first-ever GSMA Digital Nations Summit.

During the summit, Ali Irfan advocated for the public sector to lead by example by mandating organizations to prioritize digital payments and phase out cash transactions. To encourage digital payments, he suggested reducing taxes for both customers and merchants.

He also emphasized the need to digitize remittances by enabling mobile wallets to receive funds from around the globe.

The panel discussion featured Shoukat Bizinjo, Additional Director of Digital Financial Services at the State Bank of Pakistan; Maleeha Bangash, Consultant of Digital Banking at IFC; and Clive Chai, Head of Partnerships for South Asia at Meta, as APP reported.

The session was moderated by Sabahat Bokhari.

The panel discussed the need for policy interventions to support a cashless future, including incentivizing digital payments through reduced taxes on digital transactions, expanding the merchant base, and enabling RAAST QR payment acceptance points for merchants.

“Our shift from conventional banking to digital banking has been a two-decade journey that started in 2008 with the introduction of State Bank’s Branchless Banking regulations,” said Shoukat Bizinjo.

“We now host 37 million RAAST accounts, which have been a key enabler in the instant payments ecosystem,” he added.

Commenting on the way forward for the digital financial services industry, Bizinjo said, “Collaboration should be the name of the game. All industry players must work together to grow the digital economy.”

Maleeha Bangash, Consultant of Digital Banking at the International Finance Corporation, added, “The real challenge is navigating a hybrid country that is neither non-digital nor completely digital. We need the right infrastructure, a collaborative model, and interoperability of systems to prosper.”

Pakistan has over 18,650 ATMs, but the backbone of digital financial inclusion lies in the 651,672 branchless banking agents nationwide, with JazzCash hosting nearly 40% of these agents.

These agents are critical links between digital financial service providers and customers in remote and underserved communities.

In addition to hosting Pakistan’s largest network of branchless banking agents and digital wallets, JazzCash regularly runs financial awareness campaigns.

These include a comprehensive rural engagement program that stretches across 90 villages at a time, with dedicated sessions to raise awareness by sharing the benefits of mobile data and money.

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