This time, the ‘SBP Go Cashless‘ drive has been unveiled by the SBP with the objective and vision that make it evident that the country’s central bank wants to make this one of the most cash-driven seasons a season of digital inclusion. The SBP has rolled out the national-level drive on Friday with the intention to focus on cattle markets during Eidul Adha 2026, where huge amounts of money are exchanged by buyers and sellers through physical cash transactions.
The SBP Go Cashless drive aims to address an enduring loophole within the digital payments environment of Pakistan that has endured despite numerous government attempts to digitize. The Eid cattle market represents one of the largest sources of cash transactions in the nation as a whole, which makes it not only a critical issue for financial inclusion but also a realistic test bed for digital payments solutions under commercial stress.
Scale and Reach Extend Significantly in 2026
54 Markets to 96 Markets in a Single Year
The SBP Go Cashless program for Eidul Adha 2026 sees an important increase compared to the previous year’s program. Reach increases from 54 cattle markets in 2025 to 96 markets across the country in 2026 – a significant increase of 78%, making the program a strong candidate to impact the greater percentage of Pakistani Eid livestock trade through digital payment than any prior program.
This is because of the increased confidence that the central bank has in the effectiveness of the campaign model, coupled with the experience that it has gained in implementing such campaigns in the previous years. With each new campaign, there is an added benefit of building upon the foundations and contacts made during the last, which makes the 2026 version superior to the others.
22 Banks Create Separate Market Camps
The SBP Go Cashless initiative relies on 22 participating banks to set up separate market camps at their designated cattle markets during the Eid period. Such physical presence is vital in those settings where consumers and sellers require assistance in using digital modes of payments for the very first time.
The bank representatives at the kiosks in the markets will be responsible for signing up the cattle sellers, cattle haulers, and others involved in the service provision in the process of adopting electronic payment methods either by creating new accounts or through the use of QR codes. This aspect of being able to sign up people using electronic payment methods on location is one of the biggest obstacles to using electronic payment methods.
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Options for Buyers and Sellers to Use
Digital Payment Systems
SBP’s “Go Cashless” campaign provides buyers and sellers in the cattle market with a full range of digital payment methods to use, and does not confine them to using only one type of payment service. These include mobile banking applications, branchless bank payments, instant payments via Raast, and QR code payments.
Raast is a system used by Pakistan for quick domestic payments, and its importance cannot be overstated in the context of SBP’s Go Cashless program. The system facilitates instant payments between bank accounts and mobile wallets at zero transaction costs, which makes it quite relevant for the high-value cattle sales that take place during Eid celebrations.
Role of Physical Infrastructure in Facilitating Digital Transition
Deployment of Mobile Banking Buses, ATMs, and Cash Deposit Machines
The ‘SBP Go Cashless’ initiative realises that for the digital transition to be successful, physical infrastructure is an essential component, especially in areas where connectivity and accessibility to devices is highly variable. There will be deployments of mobile banking buses, ATMs, and cash deposit machines where possible among and around participating cattle markets.
The SBP Go Cashless campaign is not one that requires consumers to go entirely digital in their transactions. Rather, it ensures that when it comes to making purchases, going digital is the most efficient and safest way to do so.
Importance of the SBP Go Cashless Campaign Apart from Eid
Creating Pakistan’s Financial Inclusion Framework for the Future
The SBP Go Cashless campaign comes with its own set of advantages that go beyond the Eidul Adha period. Each of the cattle sellers, transporters, and buyers who sign up for an account through the campaign adds to the list of people contributing to Pakistan’s financial inclusion framework, which will keep growing with each passing year.
Additionally, the transparency offered by digital payments in cattle markets curtails instances of financial fraud, fake money circulation, and theft, which occur regularly in cash-based systems during seasons when high-value trade takes place.
SBP Go Cashless initiative is also contributing towards the overall objective of the country to make its financial system more efficient, transparent, and inclusive, taking advantage of the exceptional commercial activity during Eidul Adha every year as a platform for promoting digital payments.
