VASP Tracker › Pakistan
Pakistan Crypto Licensing: Virtual Assets Act 2026
In force / passed In force / passed: 5 Sep 2026 (application deadline)
- Regulator
- Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA)
- Legal basis
- Virtual Assets Act, 2026 · Virtual Asset Services Regulations, 2026
PVARA · Virtual Assets Act, 2026 (PDF)
PVARA · Licensing FAQ - Official register
- PVARA licensing FAQ (no public licence register found, checked 21 Oct 2026) · Format: HTML
What Is Changing
Pakistan's Virtual Assets Act, 2026 created PVARA as a dedicated licensing and supervisory authority for virtual-asset service providers. PVARA's regulations took effect on 21 August 2026. A No-Objection Certificate does not itself allow a firm to operate; it is the first step towards incorporating locally and applying for a licence.
Firms already operating on or before 5 March 2026 had to file an NOC application by 5 September 2026 or stop. Those that filed may continue while their application is pending, subject to PVARA's interim directives and AML/CFT obligations.
Timeline
- cut-off date
PVARA treats persons operating on or before 5 March 2026 as 'transitional persons' under section 70 of the Virtual Assets Act, 2026.
Sources: PVARA · Home (transitional persons) official
- rules published
The Virtual Asset Services Regulations, 2026 and the Activity Specific Regulations, 2026 are notified in the Gazette and take effect. Licensing runs in steps: a No-Objection Certificate (NOC, valid 3 months), then incorporation in Pakistan, then a licence application decided within 90 days.
Sources: PVARA · Licensing FAQ official
- application deadline
Deadline for transitional persons to submit an NOC application, or cease operations (s. 70). A complete application lets them continue while it is pending, subject to PVARA's interim directives.
Sources: PVARA · Home (transitional persons) official · Virtual Assets Act, 2026, s. 70 official
A company-level tracker for Pakistan is in preparation. This page covers the rules and dates only. CSV
Cite This
VASP Tracker, “Pakistan crypto licensing: Virtual Assets Act 2026”, https://vasptracker.com/en/pk/ (21 Oct 2026), CC BY 4.0.