- Pakistan establishes the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) to regulate digital assets and blockchain, following IMF recommendations for expanding its tax framework.
- PCC aims to develop clear regulations, collaborate with blockchain firms, and enhance financial stability while fostering innovation in Pakistan’s crypto industry.
The Pakistani government has officially taken a concrete step toward regulating and utilizing digital assets by forming the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC). Announced on March 15, 2025, the ruling represents a significant change in the national policy on blockchain and cryptocurrency.
The Pakistan government has established the Pakistan Cryptocurrency Council (PCC) to oversee the integration and application of blockchain technology and digital assets in the country's financial sector. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will serve as the council's chairman.…
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) March 16, 2025
IMF’s Role in Pakistan’s Crypto Council Formation
As CNF has reported, the plan to establish the PCC was first proposed in February 2025. The move was not just a domestic initiative, but was also driven by recommendations from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). To increase state income, the IMF has long urged Pakistan to widen its tax base, including the digital assets industry.
Still, this change serves more than just a financial one. Pakistan has earlier looked at blockchain technology to increase remittance efficiency.
With Pakistani immigrant workers sending home almost $31 billion annually, the traditional system sometimes suffers from high fees and transaction delays. One possible answer to speed up the remittance process and lower expenses is blockchain.
Who’s Leading PCC?
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will be chairman of the council, and Bilal Bin Saqib will be CEO. Furthermore, included in the PCC are the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, and top officials in the domains of law and information technologies. This combination is supposed to strike a mix between financial stability, technological innovation, and regulatory control.
Building a Safer and Stronger Crypto Market
Pakistan is no small participant in the digital asset scene with over 20 million active crypto users and a trading volume exceeding $20 billion. Without clear rules, though, many industry participants deal with legal ambiguity. The PCC’s founding offers hope that the nation’s crypto ecosystem will grow more targeted and get better legal defense.
Near future PCC priorities include several important ones. The development of clearer rules for digital asset trading and investment is one of its primary areas of concentration. The council will also work with worldwide blockchain companies to guarantee the application of best practices that might boost industry confidence.
By working with fintech startups and the developer community, however, they are also striving to inspire innovation so Pakistan may compete internationally. Equally crucial, the PCC is aiming at financial stability and investor protection by means of tougher rules, so enabling the Pakistan crypto market to grow more under control and safely.
Pakistan and India: Two Approaches, One Goal?
When one compares Pakistan’s action to India’s more limited approach toward digital assets in the past few years, it becomes even more intriguing. Still, there have been changes starting a few months ago. One of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in the US, Coinbase, recently registered with India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), enabling them to provide trading activities there.
More remarkably, India has stayed the top country in the world for the second year running in terms of crypto adoption. According to a Chainalysis analysis, Indians are actively trading digital assets—both centralized and decentralized—despite high taxes and strict regulation.
Could Pakistan follow India’s lead? Alternatively, will they choose a more flexible strategy? Everything is still open with the just developed rules. This clearly shows that Pakistan wants to keep ahead of others in the always-expanding digital revolution.
