The State Bank's announcement that all federal and provincial government payments will be digitised by June 2026 is a landmark development. Done right, such a transition could inject much-needed transparency into public finances and cut leakages while also widening financial inclusion. But as with all bold initiatives, the real test lies not in policy pronouncements but in execution.

At present, only two banks have launched digital banking services, while the government has set an ambitious target of raising the number of digital merchants from a mere 5,000 to two million within a year. This pace of expansion will require regulatory nudges as well as a society-wide shift in attitudes and capacities. For millions of citizens and traders, digital literacy remains minimal. Unless consumers a

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