Islamabad set to become Pakistan’s first cashless city by December 31

The federal government has set December 31 as the deadline to transform Islamabad into Pakistan’s first fully cashless city.

The announcement was made by Talal Chaudhry following a meeting on the Cashless Capital project.

Chaudhry said no cash payments would be accepted at departments of the Islamabad Capital Territory administration and Capital Development Authority after November 30.

He added that the government aimed to integrate all merchants across the capital into the digital payment system by December 31, with approximately 26,000 merchants already connected.

The initiative will extend digital payment facilities to businesses of all sizes.

According to the state minister, the transition is expected to improve financial transparency, strengthen tax monitoring and streamline transactions.

The meeting was attended by CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf, banking sector representatives and senior government officials, who assured their cooperation in implementing the initiative.