Pakistan Bets Big on Crypto: National Regulatory Body Incoming

Pakistan’s government is making a power play in digital assets—launching a dedicated crypto authority to oversee the wild west of decentralized finance. Move over, ad-hoc policies; the era of formalized regulation has arrived.

The new watchdog will likely mirror hybrid frameworks like Singapore’s MAS or Dubai’s VARA—balancing innovation with investor protection. Expect licensing regimes, AML protocols, and the usual bureaucratic tango.

For a country where 64% of the population lacks bank accounts, crypto could be a financial lifeline—or just another vehicle for the elite to hoard assets tax-free. After all, nothing unites governments like the smell of taxable revenue streams.

This marks a dramatic policy turnaround. In 2023, officials had dismissed the idea of legitimizing crypto due to compliance concerns with global anti-money laundering standards. Yet just a year later, Pakistan ranked 9th in Chainalysis’ global crypto adoption index, with retail users driving widespread engagement.

Projections show the country’s crypto market could reach over 27 million users and generate $1.6 billion in revenue by 2025, highlighting a fast-growing appetite for digital assets in a nation of nearly 250 million people. With a formal regulatory structure now in the works, Pakistan appears poised to embrace the digital economy at scale.