Payments Automation and Integration of Salaries in Afghanistan (PAISA)

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The objective of the Payments Automation and Integration of Salaries in Afghanistan (PAISA) Project is to support the development of digital government-to-person payments in Afghanistan. There are four components to the project, the first component being Biometric identification system for civil servants and pensioners. This component will support the biometric registration and issuance of a unique registration number (URN) to recipients of government salaries and transfers, which will be managed by NSIA. The second component is the integration of the identification, verification and payment systems. The component will focus on the integration of various systems playing different roles in the salary payments. process to achieve full-fledged straight-through processing (STP). This component includes two subcomponents: integration of public financial management infrastructure with digital ID and payments ecosystems, and integration of the national payment’s infrastructure with digital ID Infrastructure. The third component is the expansion of financial services and access points. This component aims to ensure that, with the shift to electronic payments, civil servants, including those hitherto paid by ‘bonded trustees’, and pensioners can either: (i) withdraw cash from their account from safe and convenient locations; or (ii) use their account balance to make cashless payments for goods and services. Finally, the fourth component is the project management. This component will be implemented by MoF and support the provision of resources to carry out the coordination, administrative, social and fiduciary aspects of the project. In line with new requirements at MoF, staffing needs have been estimated for the project life. This component will also finance the undertaking of surveys and other activities related to the monitoring of project outcomes. Prior to the roll-out of electronic payments, a baseline survey will be carried out to record payments options and experience.