Pakistan’s plan to develop specialized education and training in digital asset management remains pending, as the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has yet to receive policy directions from the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT).
The matter was raised in the National Assembly by Dr. Sharmila Faruqui through a question about Pakistan’s emerging virtual asset regulatory framework.
The IT Ministry informed lawmakers that the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) has been established as an independent statutory body under the Virtual Assets Act, 2026.
PVARA is tasked with regulating virtual asset service providers, supporting responsible innovation, protecting consumers and enforcing compliance with legal, financial, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing requirements.
The new law also establishes a regulatory sandbox where eligible blockchain and virtual asset businesses can test products, services and business models under PVARA’s supervision.
According to the government, PVARA has issued sandbox guidelines and launched a pilot focused on asset-reference tokenization. Applications for participation are currently being received and assessed.
PVARA has also prepared the Pakistan Virtual Assets Services Regulations to oversee virtual asset service providers. Draft regulations and the Virtual Asset Activity Specific Handbook were released for public consultation on June 11, 2026, with final approval and implementation arrangements still in progress.
On the education side, HEC told the National Assembly that no dedicated joint program with the National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) has been launched for digital asset management.
HEC said it is waiting for policy direction from MoITT before developing a coordinated HEC-NAVTTC program focused on digital asset skills and education.
However, universities can independently introduce programs, specializations and interdisciplinary courses covering emerging technologies under existing HEC curriculum and approval procedures.
The government has therefore moved ahead with the regulatory framework for virtual assets, while formalized digital asset education and workforce training remain pending.
