The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has introduced a digital Social Protection Wallet to make financial assistance more secure, transparent and convenient for eligible women across Pakistan. The initiative aims to give beneficiaries greater control over their funds while reducing the risk of exploitation during the payment process.
Under the new system, eligible women will receive a dedicated mobile SIM free of charge, linked to their digital wallets and issued against their national identity cards. According to BISP Additional Secretary Ismat Nawaz, the facility is designed to make receiving government assistance easier and strengthen women’s financial independence.
The Social Protection Wallet also changes how beneficiaries can access their payments. Previously, the programme used a limited-mandate account system that required recipients to withdraw their money within a specified period. If the funds were not collected within the deadline, they could be returned. Under the new arrangement, women will be able to withdraw their assistance according to their needs without the same fixed time restriction.
BISP officials have clarified that beneficiaries will not need a smartphone to use the digital wallet. The dedicated SIM can also operate in a basic feature phone, allowing women without advanced mobile devices to access the service. This approach is intended to make the facility more accessible to beneficiaries in different areas of the country.
The system will also support interoperability, enabling women to access their funds through agents of different participating banks rather than being restricted to a single bank or payment agent. This feature is expected to provide greater flexibility when collecting financial assistance and reduce dependence on individual intermediaries.
Another key feature is the introduction of payment notifications. Beneficiaries will receive messages confirming when funds have been transferred to their accounts and showing the amount credited. These notifications are intended to improve transparency and help women monitor their payments more easily.
Established in 2008, BISP provides financial assistance to eligible households, particularly women experiencing economic hardship. The introduction of the Social Protection Wallet represents a change in the programme’s payment mechanism, with an emphasis on accessibility, payment security and financial autonomy for women receiving support.
