Pakistan is allegedly investigating the judicial environment of virtual currencies in an attempt to entice foreign investment.
The nation is pondering creating a judicial structure for virtual currency commerce. The motive is to entice global investment while furnishing clearer regulatory oversight for the growing virtual asset activity within Pakistan’s flourishing cryptocurrency market.
Bilal Bin Saqib, CEO of Pakistan’s Virtual Currency Committee, expressed in a discussion that Pakistan “can no longer manage to sit on the sidelines.” He underscored the nation’s aspiration to entice global investment, accentuating its “low-cost, high-growth market” and a “Web3-native workforce equipped to construct.”
Virtual currency commerce is presently quite widespread in Pakistan. According to blockchain analysis enterprise Chainalysis, Pakistan ranks ninth globally in cryptocurrency adoption, with an estimated 15 to 20 million users, according to Saqib. Chainalysis data also unveils that a substantial portion of the nation’s commerce volume transpires “through informal P2P markets.”
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While the government’s stance on virtual currencies has been equivocal in recent years, officials now seem to be contemplating a more organized approach. Saqib implied that global developments, including policy shifts in the United States, may be influencing Pakistan’s discussions on the industry. He remarked that “Trump is making virtual currency a national priority, and every nation, including Pakistan, will have to emulate.”
In November 2024, the State Bank of Pakistan suggested creating a judicial structure that would acknowledge virtual assets, including virtual currencies, as official forms of currency.
The plan also describes a penalty system for individuals who disseminate virtual money without permission. By incorporating the administration of virtual money into the purview of the central bank, the proposition would allow the bank to supervise both tangible and virtual forms of money. This action seeks to put virtual money under the identical regulatory framework as conventional money, assuring enhanced stability and customer safeguards.