The State Bank of Pakistan expanded its Go Cashless campaign from 54 cattle markets to 123 in 2026, opening 12,500 new digital accounts in the process
Pakistan’s central bank has reported a dramatic surge in digital payments across livestock markets during this year’s Eid Al-Adha season, with transactions rising sevenfold to more than 480,000, worth Rs34 billion ($122 million).
The State Bank of Pakistan’s Go Cashless campaign, running since 2024, targeted cattle markets during the peak livestock trading period ahead of Eid Al-Adha. This year’s initiative covered 123 markets across the country, up from 54 in 2025. Twenty-two participating banks operated dedicated camps and kiosks at designated markets to facilitate digital transactions for buyers and sellers, with mobile banking vans, ATMs and cash deposit machines also deployed on-site.
The numbers tell a clear story: transactions rose from around 65,000 in 2025 to 481,000 in 2026, while the value of those transactions jumped from Rs4.6 billion to Rs34 billion. Around 12,500 new digital accounts were opened for cattle farmers and market participants during the campaign.
The results matter beyond the cattle market. Pakistan remains one of the more cash-dependent economies in Asia, a condition that enables tax evasion, limits financial transparency and creates security risks for traders handling large sums. Extending digital payment infrastructure into high-volume seasonal markets like livestock trading is seen as one of the more practical routes to broader financial inclusion and revenue visibility for the government.