ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Finance announced the launch of a strategy to regulate digital assets and grow Pakistan’s virtual asset economy.
The government has approved the creation of the Pakistan Digital Assets Authority (PDAA) to oversee blockchain-based financial infrastructure, the ministry said in a statement Wednesday.
The PDAA will regulate licensing, compliance, and innovation in the digital asset ecosystem. It will oversee exchanges, custodians, wallets, tokenized platforms, stable coins, and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications under one framework.
The move aligns Pakistan with economies such as the UAE, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, which have set up digital asset regulators to support innovation and ensure compliance with global financial standards.
The PDAA is expected to regulate the informal crypto market valued at over $25 billion, enable tokenization of national assets and government debt, provide legal clarity to investors, and support monetization of surplus electricity through regulated Bitcoin mining.
The authority will also aim to help startups and youth develop blockchain-based solutions.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the PDAA framework is designed to protect consumers, attract global investment, and position Pakistan in the digital economy.
Bilal Bin Saqib, CEO of Pakistan Crypto Council, said the initiative is about expanding access and creating new export channels through tokenization, digital finance, and Web3 technology.
