World Liberty Financial, supported by US President Donald Trump, has entered into a Letter of Intent with the Pakistan Crypto Council to enhance cryptocurrency usage in the South Asian country, according to a report from Business Recorder on April 27.
Pakistan Enters Top 10 Global Crypto Ranking
Pakistan is now ranked ninth globally for crypto adoption, with about 25 million active users and yearly transactions totaling $300 billion, based on statistics from blockchain analytics company Chainalysis.
Pakistan’s finance minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb, cited the country’s large youth population as the major driver of this success, with around 60% of people below 30 years of age.
Partnership Seeks To Develop Thorough Crypto Framework
The pact between World Liberty Financial and the Pakistan Crypto Council details a number of key initiatives. World Liberty will assist in setting up regulatory sandboxes to test blockchain products, develop stablecoin use cases aimed at remittances and trade, study real-world asset tokenization, and aid in the development of decentralized finance protocols in Pakistan.
World Liberty Financial (WLF) — the decentralized finance (DeFi) platform backed by the U.S. President Donald Trump — has signed a landmark Letter of Intent (LOI) with the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) to accelerate blockchain innovation, stablecoin adoption, and decentralized… pic.twitter.com/ySKdCACh2Y
— PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) April 27, 2025
World Liberty co-founders Zach Witkoff, Zak Folkman, and Chase Herro signed the deal in a meeting with the CEO of the Council Bilal bin Saqib. The signing was witnessed by top government officials, such as Pakistan’s central bank governor, finance minister, and IT secretary.
Former Binance CEO Joins As Strategic Advisor
Coming on top of Pakistan’s move into cryptocurrency markets, there is now former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao appointed as an advisor to the Pakistan Crypto Council. According to recent reports, Zhao will assist in shaping the country’s direction on regulation and innovation efforts.
Zhao met with the three founders of World Liberty recently, indicating close collaboration between the different entities involved in the cryptocurrency development plans in Pakistan.
Sudden Policy Change From Past Anti-Crypto Position
This collaboration represents a strong turnaround in the stance of Pakistan towards digital currency. Only a year ago, back in May 2023, then-finance minister Aisha Ghaus Pasha announced that Pakistan would never legalize bitcoin due to fears of Financial Action Task Force regulations.
Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency has now set out a new regulatory model, announced on April 10, which seeks to tackle terrorism financing, money laundering, and Know Your Customer requirements while continuing to encourage innovation.
FIA Director Sumera Azam referred to the framework as one of efforts towards finding a balance between “technological advancement and national security imperatives.”
Reports disclosed that the planned regulations would need approval from legislators and consultation with crypto businesses based in Pakistan before they could be implemented, with implementation slated to start in 2026 via a multi-phased process.
Trump and his relatives have an economic interest in World Liberty’s success, as they stand to gain a share of the profits from the platform after supporting the launch of the crypto lending and borrowing platform last year.
Featured image from US State Department, chart from TradingView
