The government of Pakistan recently reiterated its strong commitment to creating a well-regulated digital asset system during high-level meetings in Islamabad with a senior delegation from Binance, led by Global CEO Richard Teng.
The discussions were attended by key figures including Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Chairman of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Bilal Bin Saqib.
The focus was on establishing a national framework for digital assets to enhance financial transparency and attract investment without granting legal tender status to cryptocurrencies.
The core of the talks centered on developing a structured licensing regime for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs). This initiative aims to meet global anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CFT) standards and protect local users from the risks associated with unregulated platforms.
A notable idea discussed was integrating regulated financial institutions with the digital asset space, with Binance suggesting virtual assets could be part of the money supply (M-1) and used as collateral to boost Pakistan’s asset base.
The government is also considering a “time-bound amnesty” to encourage existing crypto traders to transition onto domestic, regulated platforms. Officials view digital asset adoption as an “irreversible global trend” and a significant economic opportunity.
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