๐จ Pakistan Legalizes Crypto โ But With Tight Restrictions ๐ต๐ฐ
Pakistan has taken a major step today: cryptocurrency is now officially legal. However, this legalization comes with strict limitations.
๐ฐ๏ธ Background
- In 2018, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) imposed a complete ban on crypto.
- โ Banks and financial institutions were prohibited from dealing in crypto.
- โ Payments, trading, and exchanges were strictly blocked.
- Since then, Pakistanis could only watch the global crypto wave from the sidelines.
๐ข Todayโs Announcement
- โ The 2018 ban has been lifted.
- โ Pakistan is launching its own Digital PKR (Central Bank Digital Currency).
- โ But crypto cannot be used for payments or open investment.
โ Whatโs Allowed
- โ๏ธ You can hold and transfer Digital PKR, under SBP regulations.
- โ๏ธ It can be used in fintech projects and remittance services.
โ Whatโs Still Banned
- โ You canโt shop using Bitcoin ($BTC) or Ethereum ($ETH).
- โ Altcoin trading is not freely permitted.
- โ Traditional crypto investment is restricted.
๐ Bottom Line
This is controlled legalization, not full adoption. Pakistan has opened the door to cryptoโbut the key still lies with the State Bank.
๐ The big question now:
Is this the first step toward full legalization?
Or is it a way to keep crypto under tight state control?
