Pakistan, May 4 -- The Virtual Assets Act 2026 has legalised the sector, created the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, and opened a formal path for banks to serve licensed virtual asset service providers under State Bank conditions. Far above a small administrative shift, it has marked the end of a long official pretence that crypto activity could be kept outside the room by refusing to name it.

Now, the pressure is to move quickly. The prime minister wants the regulatory system operational at speed. PVARA's leadership has suggested that tens of millions of Pakistanis are already using digital assets, most of them outside formal oversight. Even if the number is treated with caution, the point can no longer be swept under the ...