Pakistan’s central bank now allows local financial institutions to open accounts for registered virtual asset service providers (VASPs) and their clients, according to a statement by the virtual asset regulator. With this move, the central bank has lifted a seven-year ban on cryptocurrency operations. In 2018, the country banned all banks from providing their services to cryptocurrency businesses. But that ban has now been overruled, and the institutions are permitted to provide banking services to VASPs registered in the country. With this change, the world’s fifth-most populous country aims to integrate digital ... (full story)