Pakistan’s fast-moving approach to digital assets is putting it on the global crypto map, with Binance Founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao suggesting the country could rise to the top tier of crypto hubs by 2030.
In a conversation with Pakistan Crypto Council CEO Bilal bin Saqib, Zhao pointed to decisive leadership and a rapidly growing appetite for crypto among Pakistan’s young, digitally fluent population, describing these factors as key reasons the country is moving ahead of many larger markets.
“I think it’s fantastic to see the country of this size are able to have this clear vision from the leadership and ability to move at this speed. If we keep moving at this speed in five years, Pakistan will be the crypto leader, one of the crypto leaders in the world.”
This year, Pakistan has taken significant steps to formalise its digital asset ecosystem.
The government established the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA), bringing together representatives from the State Bank of Pakistan, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Federal Board of Revenue to ensure coordination across financial institutions.
Under PVARA’s oversight, major exchanges such as Binance and HTX received in-principle approvals to operate locally, setting the stage for full licensing.
The country has also explored creating a Bitcoin reserve and real-world asset tokenization, aiming to attract foreign capital and improve market liquidity.
Zhao highlighted tokenization as a key area of opportunity.
He asked,
“Which country doesn’t want the global population to buy their stocks? Tokenizing stocks allows the global population to buy those tokens. That is basically direct investment into those stocks of Pakistan.”
Pakistan has already signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Binance to explore tokenizing up to $2 billion in sovereign assets, including government bonds and commodity reserves.
Zhao emphasised that countries moving first on tokenization are likely to benefit most from global investor attention.
Zhao also stressed that blockchain provides a lower barrier to entry compared with traditional banking or artificial intelligence.
“If a young person wants to start a bank, it's pretty limited opportunities [...] If they want to build an AI company, they probably don't have the large data, the large compute, all the chips, so both of those industries require quite a bit of resources to do a startup. The blockchain will never reject you.”
He pointed out that blockchain-based projects are largely virtual, making them more accessible to young entrepreneurs and smaller businesses.
Pakistan Crypto Council CEO Bilal bin Saqib and Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao discussed the country's evolving digital asset framework at Islamabad’s Faisal Mosque.
However, he added that long-term success will depend on education and ecosystem support.
Universities, incubators, and training initiatives will be critical to nurturing the next generation of blockchain innovators in Pakistan.
Beyond exchanges and tokenization, Pakistan has signalled interest in introducing a national stablecoin, which PVARA officials described as a potential tool for modernising payments and managing government debt.
These moves reflect a broader strategy to institutionalise crypto and blockchain while providing opportunities for both international and domestic participants.
With Bitcoin trading around $88,430 and global interest in digital assets remaining strong, Pakistan’s proactive stance on regulation, tokenization, and entrepreneurship positions it to compete with larger jurisdictions and potentially become a major hub in the global crypto ecosystem.
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