Ministry launches strategy to regulate digital assets
ISLAMABAD: In a landmark move to embrace the future of finance, the Ministry of Finance has announced the initiation of a comprehensive strategy to regulate digital assets and accelerate the growth of Pakistan's virtual asset economy.
The government has endorsed the establishment of a dedicated body, the Pakistan Digital Assets Authority (PDAA) to regulate blockchain-based financial infrastructure.
The aim is to ensure FATF-compliant innovation, economic inclusion, and responsible adoption of digital assets.
Global crypto diplomacy: PCC positions Pakistan as rising force in just 50 days
Pakistan must regulate not just to catch up but to lead.
With the PDAA, we are creating a future-ready framework that protects consumers, invites global investment, and puts Pakistan at the forefront of financial innovation, said Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Chairman of PCC.
The PDAA will serve as a specialised regulatory body with a clear mandate: to oversee licensing, compliance, and innovation within the digital asset ecosystem. It will regulate exchanges, custodians, wallets, tokenised platforms, stablecoins, and DeFi applications all under a single, agile framework.
This strategic decision aligns Pakistan with other forward-thinking economies such as the UAE, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong — all of which have established digital asset regulators to foster innovation while ensuring compliance with global financial norms.
The PDAA is expected to regulate a $25B+ informal crypto market, enable tokenisation of national assets and government debt, provide legal clarity to global and local investors, facilitate monetisation of Pakistan's surplus electricity through regulated Bitcoin mining, and empower youth and startups to build blockchain-based solutions at scale.
With the proposed PDAA, Pakistan is signalling its intent to become a competitive player in the global digital economy, inviting responsible innovation, and building trust with investors, entrepreneurs, and international partners.
'This is not just about crypto it's about rewriting our financial future, expanding access, and creating new export channels through tokenisation, digital finance, and Web3 innovation,' said Bilal Bin Saqib CEO of Pakistan Crypto Council.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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