Pakistan’s Virtual Asset Regulator Releases Draft 2026 Rules for Public Consultation

Pakistan’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (PVARA) said it has issued a draft of the Virtual Asset Service Regulations 2026 and opened it for public feedback from the public, industry bodies, and other stakeholders. According to Foresight News, the consultation period runs from June 11 to July 2 at 19:00 (UTC+8). PVARA said the draft regulations and accompanying activity-specific manuals cover licensing categories and application procedures for virtual asset service providers (VASPs), as well as governance and operational requirements, market conduct standards, technology and cybersecurity, AML/CFT compliance obligations, and customer asset protection. The authority added that specialized manuals have been prepared for 10 license types, including exchanges, custody, brokers, derivatives, and mining services.