Regulatory compliance stories

Aug 23, 2026

Pakistan opens crypto licensing portal with September 5 deadline for exchanges

Pakistan's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority has opened its licensing portal after notifying regulations governing crypto exchanges and other virtual asset service providers, with a September 5 deadline for compliance.

Aug 23, 20262 sources

Top claims

▪Under the PVARA framework, licensed virtual asset service providers in Pakistan must keep customer holdings separate from their own assets and cannot lend or pledge them without written consent
▪Following the passage of the Virtual Assets Act, the State Bank of Pakistan allowed banks to provide accounts, including segregated client-money accounts, to licensed virtual asset service providers
▪Virtual asset service providers operating in Pakistan on or before March 5, 2026 must submit an application for a no-objection certificate (NOC) by September 5, 2026, or cease operations

Subtopics

Crypto regulation Crypto exchange regulation Crypto regulatory frameworks Crypto exchanges

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