Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) is a Pakistani regulatory body to oversee and promote

blockchain technology The blockchain is a distributed ledger with growing lists of records (''blocks'') that are securely linked together via cryptographic hashes. Each block contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp, and transaction data (g ...

and

digital asset A digital asset is anything that exists only in digital form and comes with a distinct usage right or distinct permission for use. Data that do not possess those rights are not considered assets. ''Digital assets'' include, but are not limited t ...

s within

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

; as of May 2025, reports indicated that Pakistan had approximately 40 million cryptocurrency users, with an estimated annual crypto trading volume exceeding US$300 billion. The council was established by the

government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

in March 2025.

History

The initiative to establish the PCC was announced on 25 February 2025, with formal plans developed under the leadership of Finance Minister

Muhammad Aurangzeb Muhammad Aurangzeb (born 1964) is a Pakistani banker who has been serving as the Minister of Finance (Pakistan), finance minister of Pakistan since 11 March 2024. He previously served as the chief executive officer (CEO) and president (corporate t ...

. The council was officially launched in March 2025.

Leadership and structure

The PCC is led by Federal Finance Minister

, who has been appointed as its head. Bilal Bin Saqib serves as the Chief of the council, providing strategic direction to its operations. The immediate governing board of the council includes officials such as the

Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan Here is a list of the governors of the State Bank of Pakistan. List of governors See also * State Bank of Pakistan * Planning Commission (Pakistan) * Economy of Pakistan References Profile of Past Governors of State Bank of Pakistan ...

, the Federal Law and IT Secretaries underscoring the institutional backing and collaborative nature of the initiative. On 07 April 2025, PCC appointed

Binance Binance Holdings Ltd., branded Binance, is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in terms of daily trading volume of cryptocurrencies. Binance was founded in 2017 by Changpeng Zhao, a developer who had previously created high-frequency trading ...

co-founder, Zhao as it's strategic adviser. On 26 May 2025, Prime Minister

Shehbaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who has served as the 20th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan since March 2024, having previously been in the role between Ap ...

appointed Bilal Bin Saqib, CEO of the PCC, as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, with the rank of Minister of State.

Leadership

Recent developments

In May 2025, PCC's CEO Bilal Bin Saqib unveiled Pakistan's first government-led Strategic Bitcoin Reserve at the Bitcoin Vegas 2025. In the same month, the government allocated 2,000 megawatts of surplus electricity in first phase for bitcoin mining and AI data centres. These initiatives are aimed at presenting Pakistan as an emerging player in the crypto economy.

References

External links

Ministry of Finance website
{{Authority control Financial technology Government of Pakistan 2025 establishments in Pakistan Economic development in Pakistan Financial regulation in Pakistan Organisations based in Islamabad Government agencies of Pakistan Economy of Pakistan Organizations established in 2025