Report by Engineering Post
Pakistan has enacted the Virtual Assets Act 2026 thereby creating a legal framework for regulating the country’s digital financial sector and also fulfilling a condition linked to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ‘s ongoing Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme.
The legislation was recently approved by the parliament to formally establish the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) as the national regulator for virtual asset markets and service providers. As a matter of fact the PVARA had initially been created in July 2025 through a presidential ordinance and now the new law has granted it a permanent legal status.
The authority, so created under the act , will license virtual asset service providers operating in or from Pakistan and supervise their activities. It will also be regulating digital asset markets and monitor compliance with financial , security and legal standards.
According to the information gathered from the official sources the framework was intended to strengthen and oversee digital financial activities while supporting the adoption of emerging financial technologies. PVARA has also been empowered to ensure transparency and financial integrity in the virtual assets sector and also monitor compliance by the licensed operators. Furthermore, the legislation has also aligned Pakistan’s regulatory regime with the international standards for digital asset supervision and financial compliance.
