Pakistan moving towards regulated virtual-assets framework, finance minister says
Pakistan moving towards regulated virtual-assets framework
Pakistan is transitioning towards a regulated virtual-assets framework, finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said, framing blockchain and tokenisation as means to cheaper remittances, financing for small and medium-sized enterprises, sovereign debt and broader financial inclusion.
Speaking in New York during the High-Level Week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, at an event titled "United Nations Digital Cooperation Day 2026 – Blockchain and the Tokenised Future: Sovereign Choices and Safeguards for Next-Gen DPI", Aurangzeb said tokenisation must address real economic needs. According to a finance ministry statement, he stressed that private-sector innovation should be supported by strong state safeguards, inclusive digital infrastructure and international cooperation, with emerging economies fully involved in shaping global standards.
The visit also covered climate finance. At the World Economic Forum's "Financing Planet and Prosperity" meeting, the minister highlighted Pakistan's vulnerability to climate-related disasters, particularly flooding that damages infrastructure and communities, and outlined efforts to strengthen disaster-response frameworks, early-warning systems and costed climate-investment plans. He said external assistance must be complemented by domestic resources and fiscal buffers, and referred to financing mobilised through the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and international capital markets for relief, adaptation and reconstruction. He called on international climate funds, including the Green Climate Fund and the Loss and Damage Fund, to simplify procedures and accelerate access to financing, and expressed Pakistan's support for the COP31 Action Agenda, which he said aligns with the country's national climate priorities and NDC 3.0.
The statement did not set out a timetable for the virtual-assets framework, describe draft legislation or name the authority that would supervise it.
