Pakistan’s point-of-sale payments drop by 50% due to protest violence.

Protests in Pakistan Cause Nearly 50% Drop in Digital Payments

By Ariba Shahid

Point-of-sale transactions routed through Pakistan’s main digital payments system fell by nearly 50% the day after former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrest ignited countrywide protests and prompted authorities to shut down mobile internet services, data showed on Thursday.

The violent protests that followed Khan’s arrest on Tuesday by the country’s anti-graft agency have hit commercial activity in Pakistan hard. Many major roads and businesses have also remained shut, mainly in the eastern city of Lahore, Pakistan’s second-largest city.

Impact on Digital Payments

Data shared with Reuters by 1LINK on its point-of-sale (POS) machines showed international payment card transactions were down on Wednesday by 45% in volume, from a daily average of 127,000 during the week of May 1 to 7 to approximately 68,000 on May 10. The daily value of transactions using international payment cards was down 46%, from 606 million rupees ($2.14 million) to 330 million rupees ($1.16 million) on May 10.

Transactions on Pakistan’s only domestic payment scheme, PayPak, were down 52% in volume to 18,000 transactions on Wednesday, and 56% down in value to roughly 62 million rupees ($218,775).

1LINK is Pakistan’s major facilitator of POS digital payment transactions for international platforms such as Visa and Mastercard.

Reasons for the Slump

The reason for the slump was primarily the mobile broadband suspension, in addition to lower footfall at the limited number of stores opened due to the political turmoil, payments system operator 1LINK told Reuters.

Impact on the Market

Cash transactions still dominate Pakistan’s commercial dealings, with much of the market undocumented, but digital payments have been growing fast in the country of 220 million. Many retailers and industrialists across Pakistan have also said their activities had ground to a halt since the protests started on Tuesday.

More than 1,600 people have been arrested while five have been killed and hundreds injured in riots, including more than 160 policemen.

The suspension of mobile broadband and social media platforms has cost nearly $100 million so far, according to Simon Migliano, Head of Research at Top10VPN.