{"id":6355,"date":"2025-12-18T20:04:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T15:04:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pkfin.kotenterprises.dev\/?p=6355"},"modified":"2025-12-18T20:04:45","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T15:04:45","slug":"govt-engages-with-ant-group-and-easypaisa-to-accelerate-digital-payments-and-financial-inclusion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pkfin.kotenterprises.dev\/?p=6355","title":{"rendered":"Govt. engages with Ant Group and easypaisa to accelerate digital payments and financial inclusion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Islamabad:<\/strong> The federal government on Thursday held discussions with Ant Group<\/a>, a global digital payments and financial technology company, and Easypaisa Digital Bank to advance digital payments, financial inclusion and technology-driven financial services in Pakistan.<\/p>\n

Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb met a delegation at the Finance Division comprising Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International and Senior Vice President at Ant Group; Irfan Wahab Khan, Chairman of Easypaisa Digital Bank; and Jahanzeb Khan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Easypaisa Digital Bank.<\/p>\n

The meeting focused on accelerating Pakistan\u2019s transition towards a cashless and digitally enabled economy. Welcoming the delegation, Aurangzeb said the government\u2019s national digitisation drive had gained strong momentum, with clear performance targets being pursued through a coordinated approach spanning digital infrastructure, payment systems and rails, and the digitisation of government-related payments.<\/p>\n

Feagin reaffirmed Ant International and Ant Group\u2019s commitment to supporting Pakistan\u2019s digital economy agenda by leveraging global experience, technology capabilities and operational expertise gained across Asia to expand cashless payment adoption and digital financial services. He noted that Easypaisa\u2019s licensing as a digital bank presents a significant opportunity to build capabilities, deepen outreach and accelerate the shift towards digital transactions.<\/p>\n

During the discussion, Aurangzeb highlighted the role of digital banks and fintech platforms in enabling inclusive credit and targeted lending, particularly for underserved segments such as small farmers. He stressed that agriculture lending needs to reach a broader base of smallholders and that scalable digital platforms can improve outreach and sustainability.<\/p>\n

The finance minister also underlined the importance of diversifying the investor base for domestic public debt and reducing distribution frictions by facilitating retail participation through digital platforms, allowing citizens to invest in secure and liquid government securities via accessible channels.<\/p>\n

Irfan Wahab Khan said Easypaisa is steadily transitioning from a payments-focused platform to a broader financial services provider, with an emphasis on financial inclusion, customer education, and the development of savings and wealth management products. The discussion also covered enhancements in cross-border and wallet-based payments, as well as measures to reduce transaction frictions for users.<\/p>\n

Aurangzeb shared the government\u2019s perspective on the growing scale of virtual asset activity and the need to bring such activity within a regulated framework. The meeting included an exchange on opportunities related to tokenisation and the potential for regulated, technology-enabled channels to support secure and accessible financial products, including government securities and broader capital market development.<\/p>\n

Feagin noted that Ant Group invested $3.26 billion in research and development in 2024, underscoring the group\u2019s continued focus on innovation. He added that expanding digital payments and digital finance can help improve documentation of economic activity and support tax base expansion, citing outcomes observed in multiple international markets.<\/p>\n

He reiterated Ant International\u2019s and Easypaisa\u2019s commitment to scaling QR-code merchant acceptance and driving consumer adoption through practical use cases, while also highlighting operational considerations related to biometric-based customer onboarding, compliance requirements, and the cost of authentication and verification processes.<\/p>\n

Aurangzeb appreciated the delegation\u2019s engagement and encouraged the submission of specific proposals for coordination with relevant stakeholders to advance shared priorities under the government\u2019s digitisation agenda.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Islamabad: The federal government on Thursday held discussions with Ant Group, a global digital payments and financial technology company, and Easypaisa Digital Bank to advance digital payments, financial inclusion and technology-driven financial services in Pakistan. Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb met a delegation at the Finance Division comprising Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post","format-standard"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t