What to know:
- Pakistan’s central bank ended its 2018 prohibition, allowing banks to open operational accounts for licensed VASPs under AML/KYC rules.
- Banking access enables fiat on-ramps, compliant corporate services, and could attract fintech investment into blockchain infrastructure, remittances, and tokenization.
- Only licensed VASPs qualify, full licensing is incomplete, and strict AML/CFT checks plus unclear tax and cybersecurity rules may slow onboarding.
Pakistan’s central bank has officially given the green light to commercial banks to provide accounts to virtual asset service providers that are licensed, thereby formally lifting the ban the bank had on crypto-related banking that was imposed in 2018.
This policy change brings Pakistan into line with the global regulatory trends of digital assets and provides a regulated path for blockchain businesses to gain access to the traditional financial system. In the nation’s crypto ecosystem, this step signals a shift from embargo to regulated involvement.
Regulatory Reversal
State Bank of Pakistan’s renewal of policy now allows banks to give their services to virtual asset providers that are properly licensed, thereby undoing the previous directive that prohibited banks from assisting crypto transactions. Licensed VASPs, under the new system, are allowed to open operational accounts for staff, transactions, and treasury matters.
These are also subject to the usual anti-money laundering and know-your-customer measures. This action is a response to a long-standing issue that exchanges, custodians, and blockchain startups faced when they resorted to the use of informal channels.
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Opportunities for Blockchain Ecosystem Growth
Banking access paves the way for reducing procedural difficulties in Pakistan’s Web3 sector and might pave the way for crypto businesses to become more formalized. Licensed exchanges and wallet providers can now directly link up with payment systems, thereby significantly enhancing fiat on-ramping for users and making compliant corporate banking feasible.
The new regulation may result in attracting regional fintech capital inflows and promoting the building of blockchain infrastructure, remittance products, and tokenization schemes in a properly regulated environment. According to the industry commentators, clear banking guidelines usually come before wider digital asset regulations, which implies that Pakistan may extend licensing to cover other crypto-related services.
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Compliance Hurdles and Ongoing Challenges
Though access has been broadened, large portions of regulatory criteria remain unmet. Only licensed VASPs are deemed eligible, and as of now, Pakistan has not rolled out a thorough licensing system for all types of crypto businesses. Banks will likely conduct rigorous AML/CFT checks, which could potentially slow down the onboarding process. Besides, the cryptocurrency players also need to consider the issues related to taxation, consumer protection standards, and cybersecurity measures, which are still in the pipeline.
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