Pakistan’s FIA Launches Crypto Investigation Unit to Fight Money Laundering

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has established a dedicated cryptocurrency investigation unit to target money laundering and terrorism financing involving digital assets.

The unit sits inside the FIA’s newly operational National Command and Control Centre, known as NC3.

Pakistan Builds an Enforcement Arm for Digital Assets

FIA Counter-Terrorism Wing Director Dr Muhammad Athar Waheed told local media outlet Dawn the unit investigates the use of crypto in crimes rather than regulating the market. Therefore, Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) keeps sole authority over oversight.

Furthermore, Waheed urged the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) to build similar units.

Pakistan’s move mirrors a wider global push against crypto-enabled crime. In recent months, US prosecutors have brought several cases against individuals accused of money laundering, investment scams, and other digital asset crimes.

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Meanwhile, Pakistan has pushed hard on digital asset policy in recent years. Last year, BeInCrypto reported that the country was building a framework to legalize crypto trading.

In March 2026, Parliament passed the Virtual Assets Act. The law establishes a comprehensive regulatory framework for the digital finance sector.

It also created the PVARA. The State Bank of Pakistan then eased access to banking for crypto firms. It scrapped a 2018 circular that had blocked regulated entities from handling virtual assets for seven years.

The country also ranks among the world’s largest crypto markets. It placed third in the Chainalysis 2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index, behind only India and the United States.

However, the enforcement drive lands while Pakistan’s religious scholars remain split. The new unit gives Islamabad muscle to match its regulatory ambitions, even as a Shariah debate over whether crypto is permissible stays unresolved.

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