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Pakistan vs United States

Crypto regulation comparison

← Back to map | Pakistan | United States
Pakistan

Pakistan

United States

United States

Restricted
Legal

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.

The United States has the world's most complex crypto regulatory landscape, with overlapping federal and state jurisdictions. The SEC regulates crypto securities and has pursued enforcement actions against exchanges and token issuers. The CFTC oversees crypto derivatives and considers Bitcoin a commodity. FinCEN applies BSA requirements to crypto exchanges as money service businesses. The IRS taxes crypto as property: short-term gains at income tax rates (10-37%), long-term gains at 0-20%. New 1099-DA broker reporting rules take effect from 2025. Multiple states have their own requirements, with New York's BitLicense being the most stringent.

Tax Type None
Tax Type Capital gains
Tax Rate N/A
Tax Rate 0-37%
Exchanges No No
Exchanges Yes Yes
Mining Yes Yes
Mining Yes Yes
Regulator SBP (State Bank of Pakistan), SECP
Regulator SEC, CFTC, FinCEN, OCC, IRS, State regulators
Stablecoin Rules No regulation; SBP has not authorized any crypto activities
Stablecoin Rules Stablecoin legislation actively being developed in Congress; existing oversight by SEC, CFTC, state regulators
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
Key Points
  • SEC regulates crypto as securities under Howey test; major enforcement actions (Ripple, Coinbase, Binance)
  • CFTC classifies Bitcoin and Ether as commodities; oversees derivatives markets
  • IRS treats crypto as property: short-term gains taxed at 10-37%, long-term (1yr+) at 0-20%
  • FinCEN requires exchanges to register as MSBs and comply with BSA/AML requirements
  • 1099-DA broker reporting for centralized exchanges effective from tax year 2025
Sources
Sources