Aurangzeb urges digital assets to serve economic growth
The finance minister said digital innovation should lower business costs and support exports and private investment, and that the government is reviewing Eurobond tokenization.
Pakistan needs financial innovation that cuts business costs and brings more people into the formal economy, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Monday, the state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
The minister delivered his remarks virtually at a dialogue on digital assets and the future of banking organized by the Pakistan Banks' Association.
He argued that digital assets would have to earn their place in the financial system by helping meet those economic aims.
Aurangzeb said Pakistan is shifting from macroeconomic stability toward sustainable growth, a goal that depends on continued fiscal discipline, stronger exports and higher private investment.
He also called for a financial system that serves businesses more efficiently, and said digital innovation should back those priorities and produce concrete results.
Aurangzeb noted that Pakistan has set up a legal framework through the Virtual Assets Act 2026.
The next step, he said, is effective implementation through capable supervision and better coordination among institutions.
He stressed that new technologies must address real economic needs and remain protected by strong safeguards.
The government is reviewing the tokenization of existing Eurobond debt, the finance minister said.
He said the government is looking forward to cabinet approval before issuing a Request for Bids on the matter.
Virtual assets, including cryptocurrencies, have drawn growing attention from regulators worldwide as governments weigh how to supervise them.
Tokenization refers to representing financial instruments such as bonds as digital tokens recorded on a ledger, an approach that markets in several countries have been exploring in recent years.
