The Higher Education Commission (HEC) is preparing to introduce specialized courses related to cryptocurrency, blockchain, and digital asset management in Pakistan, although the initiative is currently awaiting policy direction from the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT).
The development was highlighted in the National Assembly during a question raised by Dr. Sharmila Faruqui regarding Pakistan’s emerging regulatory framework for virtual assets.
According to the government’s response, the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) has been established as an independent statutory authority under the Virtual Assets Act, 2026.
PVARA is responsible for regulating virtual asset service providers, promoting responsible innovation, protecting consumers, and ensuring compliance with legal, financial, anti-money laundering, and counterterrorism financing requirements.
The Virtual Assets Act, 2026 also provides for a regulatory sandbox that allows eligible blockchain and virtual asset businesses to test their products, services, and business models under PVARA’s supervision.
PVARA has already issued guidelines for the sandbox and launched a sandbox focused on asset reference tokenization. Applications are currently being received and evaluated.
The authority has also developed the Pakistan Virtual Assets Services Regulations for the regulation and supervision of virtual asset service providers. Draft regulations and the Virtual Asset Activity Specific Handbook were published for public consultation on June 11, 2026, while final approval and implementation arrangements are still underway.
On the education front, HEC informed the National Assembly that no dedicated collaborative program with the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) has yet been launched for digital asset management.
HEC said it has not received the necessary policy direction from MoITT to develop a coordinated program with NAVTTC.
However, universities can already introduce programs, specializations, and interdisciplinary courses covering emerging technologies through existing HEC curriculum and approval mechanisms.
The latest development indicates that while Pakistan has moved forward with establishing a regulatory framework for virtual assets, specialized academic programs and workforce training in cryptocurrency and blockchain remain dependent on further policy direction from the IT Ministry.
