North Korea vs Pakistan
Crypto regulation comparison
North Korea
Pakistan
Banned
Restricted
North Korea does not allow civilian cryptocurrency use. The regime has been accused by the UN and US of using state-sponsored hacking to steal cryptocurrency to fund weapons programs.
Pakistan has a hostile regulatory environment for cryptocurrency. The State Bank of Pakistan has prohibited financial institutions from facilitating crypto transactions, and the government has considered outright bans. Despite this, Pakistan has high informal crypto adoption, ranking among the top countries for P2P crypto volume. The SECP has explored blockchain regulation but no licensing framework exists for exchanges.
Tax Type
None
Tax Type
None
Tax Rate
N/A
Tax Rate
N/A
Exchanges
No
Exchanges
No
Mining
No
Mining
Yes
Regulator
Central Bank of North Korea
Regulator
SBP (State Bank of Pakistan), SECP
Stablecoin Rules
Not applicable — crypto banned
Stablecoin Rules
No regulation; SBP has not authorized any crypto activities
Key Points
- No civilian cryptocurrency use permitted
- State-sponsored crypto theft alleged by UN and US
- Lazarus Group linked to major crypto exchange hacks
- International sanctions restrict all financial activities
- Cryptocurrency used by state actors, not civilians
Key Points
- SBP prohibits banks and financial institutions from processing crypto transactions
- No licensing framework for crypto exchanges; operating informally is risky
- High P2P crypto adoption despite regulatory hostility
- Government has considered formal banning legislation multiple times
- SECP has explored digital asset regulation but no framework enacted