Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has established a specialized cryptocurrency investigation unit under its National Command and Control Centre to clamp down on digital asset financial crimes. Muhammad Athar Waheed, director of the FIA’s counter-terrorism wing, confirmed that the unit will focus on probing illicit crypto use in money laundering, cybercrime, and terrorism financing. Waheed additionally urged parallel agencies, such as the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency and the Anti-Narcotics Force, to set up dedicated teams targeting crypto-assisted narcotics transactions.
The investigative wing will operate alongside the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA), the country’s primary digital asset watchdog established following parliament’s passage of the Virtual Assets Act in March. PVARA holds federal authority to license digital asset service providers, having already issued operating licenses to major global exchanges, including Binance and HTX.
The enforcement crackdown arrives during a broader national push toward state-level digital asset integration. Led by PVARA Chairman Bilal bin Saqib, Pakistan’s strategic roadmap includes plans to deploy a sovereign stablecoin, establish a state-held Bitcoin reserve, and dedicate 2,000 megawatts of national grid electricity to support local Bitcoin mining and artificial intelligence data centers.
