Pakistan Creates Federal Crypto Unit to Combat Financial Crime
Pakistan has established a dedicated federal unit to investigate cryptocurrency-related financial crimes, strengthening the country's enforcement capabilities as digital asset adoption grows alongside a broader regulatory framework introduced this year.
Summary:
- The new unit will investigate money laundering, terrorism financing, cybercrime and other offenses involving digital assets.
- It will operate within the FIA’s National Command and Control Centre (NC3), a centralized intelligence and monitoring hub.
- Authorities are encouraging other law enforcement agencies to establish similar crypto-focused teams.
- Market supervision and licensing will remain the responsibility of Pakistan’s virtual asset regulator.
Specialized Unit Focuses on Crypto Investigations
According to information from Yahoo, the specialized cryptocurrency investigation unit has been created within the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and will operate from the newly established National Command and Control Centre (NC3) in Islamabad.
The NC3 was designed to improve coordination between law enforcement agencies by combining intelligence gathering, real-time monitoring and operational oversight within a single platform. Housing the crypto unit inside the center allows investigators to integrate blockchain-related cases into broader financial crime investigations rather than treating them as standalone incidents.
Its primary mandate includes identifying and investigating the use of cryptocurrencies in money laundering, terrorism financing, drug trafficking, cybercrime and other illicit financial activities.
Officials also expect the unit to strengthen digital forensic capabilities as cryptocurrency transactions become increasingly relevant to cross-border criminal investigations.
Authorities Seek Broader Enforcement Network
Pakistan’s enforcement strategy extends beyond the newly created FIA unit.
Dr. Muhammad Athar Waheed, Director of the FIA’s Counter-Terrorism Wing, has recommended that additional government agencies – including the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) – establish their own specialized cryptocurrency investigation teams.
READ MORE: Russia Approves Crypto Law Recognizing Digital Assets as Property
The proposal reflects a broader effort to develop expertise across multiple branches of law enforcement as digital assets become more common in financial investigations. Dedicated teams would allow agencies to focus on sector-specific risks while improving coordination in cases involving multiple jurisdictions or overlapping criminal offenses.
Regulation and Enforcement Remain Separate
The creation of the investigation unit does not change Pakistan’s regulatory structure for digital assets.
Criminal investigations involving cryptocurrencies will remain the responsibility of the FIA, while licensing, supervision and regulatory oversight of Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) continue to fall under the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA), established through the Virtual Assets Act 2026.
Separating regulatory oversight from criminal enforcement follows a model adopted in several other jurisdictions, where financial regulators oversee market participants while specialized law enforcement agencies investigate illegal activity.
The latest initiative signals Pakistan’s intention to expand its institutional capacity around digital assets by strengthening enforcement without altering the existing regulatory framework for the country’s cryptocurrency industry.
The information presented in this article is intended for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or trading advice. Coinspress.com does not promote or advocate for any particular investment strategy, asset, or cryptocurrency project. Cryptocurrency markets are highly volatile and unpredictable – always perform your own research and seek guidance from a qualified financial professional before making any investment decisions.
Kosta Gushterov
Reporter at CoinsPress
Kosta has reported on cryptocurrency markets and blockchain infrastructure since 2020, bringing over six years of hands-on experience in the crypto industry built through daily tracking of markets, trends, and emerging blockchain developments. Specializing in Bitcoin on-chain analysis, institutional ETF flows, and digital asset price action, his work has been cited by other news agencies and consistently covers market developments with a focus on data-driven reporting across Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. Over the years, Kosta has contributed to multiple crypto media outlets in different regions, authoring over 6,000 articles across the sector. His reporting spans cryptocurrency markets and the broader fintech industry, tracking not only price action but also the technological and regulatory forces shaping the ecosystem. To support his analysis, Kosta actively leverages on-chain data and metrics from leading platforms such as Santiment, Glassnode, and CryptoQuant, enabling deeper, evidence-based market insights. He believes in the power of transparency and the data that underpins the blockchain ecosystem. His academic background in Marketing Management from Denmark further complements his analytical approach, adding a strong understanding of communication strategy and content positioning to his work.
