Pakistan unveils digital finance roadmap

KARACHI: Pakistan has laid out an ambitious roadmap for its digital economy and virtual assets ecosystem, unveiling key reforms and industry initiatives during a high-profile event held Tuesday at the National Incubation Centre (NIC) in Karachi.

The event, jointly organised by REIT Academy Pakistan, IRADAM, and Blockanica Technologies, brought together senior government officials, fintech leaders and investors for discussions on blockchain innovation, digital regulation and asset tokenisation.

Khurram Schehzad, adviser to the finance minister, said the government is committed to building a “secure, Sharia-aligned, and forward-looking” digital finance ecosystem. He credited Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb for leading the push through the establishment of the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) and the enactment of the Pakistan Virtual Assets and Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Ordinance 2025.

“We are not just experimenting with crypto -- we are laying the foundations of a digital economy underpinned by strong regulation, compliance and financial inclusion,” Schehzad said.The roadmap outlined during the event includes real-world asset tokenisation, blockchain infrastructure for sectors like real estate, agriculture and mining, and broader reforms such as privatisation of state-owned enterprises, tax digitisation, and energy sector restructuring.

The government is also aligning its policies with international anti-money laundering (AML) and FATF standards, with active coordination among key regulators including the Ministry of Finance, State Bank of Pakistan, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), and Ministry of IT.

Pakistan’s first real estate tokenization management and issuer company has also completed distributed ledger technology (DLT) testing under the SECP’s regulatory sandbox. To support innovation in the space, the government launched the Real-World Asset Tokenization Academy in partnership with NIC Karachi, IBA CEIF, Barsols Legal Chamber, and Blockanica.

Industry experts including Arif Habib Consultancy’s Nasim Beg, CeDAR’s Ali Farid Khawaja, Binance’s Humza Khan, and Sindh IT’s Ayaz Uqaili highlighted Pakistan’s readiness to attract investors, citing its large crypto user base and job creation potential. Panelists also discussed the legal framework under PVARA and upcoming legislation such as the Digital Nation Act.

“Pakistan has the adaptability, the user base, and the investor interest,” Schehzad said. “What we are building now is the governance, trust and infrastructure to match it.”