CDA Accelerates Drive Towards Cashless Economy in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Muhammad Ali Randhawa, chaired a high-level meeting on Friday at CDA Headquarters to review progress on promoting a cashless economy in the federal capital.

The meeting was attended by CDA Member Finance Tahir Naeem, Member Planning and Design Dr. Khalid Hafiz, Special Secretary Ministry of Information Technology, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Irfan Nawaz Memon, senior officials from CDA and ICT Administration, as well as representatives of central and commercial banks and telecom companies.

Member Finance briefed the participants that, in accordance with the vision of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and directives of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, the implementation of a cashless economy in Islamabad has been expedited. He informed that CDA has made digital payment systems—including Raast QR codes—mandatory for all types of payments and collections in the city.

Under the ongoing initiatives, more than 5,000 merchants and shopkeepers have been integrated into the Raast QR code system. Digital payments through QR codes have already been introduced in the weekly bazaars of Sectors H-9 and G-6. Efforts are underway to ensure instant QR code availability for transactions in major commercial centers as well as rural areas. The system is also being expanded to cover all Markaz, shopping malls and Class-III markets across Islamabad.

It was further shared that a fully cashless system has been implemented at CDA’s One Window Facilitation Center, while QR-based payment facilities have also been installed in metro and electric feeder buses. Banks are sharing real-time data via a dedicated dashboard to monitor progress on the cashless transition.

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Chairman Randhawa directed stakeholders to adopt an effective public awareness strategy to encourage the use of digital payments. He emphasized that CDA and the district administration are facilitating coordination between banks, traders and consumers, and urged banks to deploy field teams in collaboration with local authorities for on-ground guidance.

He further instructed banks and telecom operators to introduce incentives to attract both traders and customers to digital payment systems. Highlighting CDA’s support measures, he noted that Right of Way (ROW) charges for laying fiber optic infrastructure have been waived to aid rapid digitization.

Chairman Randhawa also stressed the inclusion of trade unions and market associations in the awareness campaign through electronic, print and social media. He called for enhanced coordination among all stakeholders to accelerate Islamabad’s transition into a fully cashless and digitized city.

“These measures will ensure transparent, secure and efficient digital transactions, making Islamabad a model smart city,” he concluded.