Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Monday that the government is reviewing the possibility of tokenising Pakistan's existing Eurobond debt and will seek federal cabinet approval before issuing a request for proposals (RFP).
He was delivering a virtual keynote at a "Dialogue on Digital Assets and the Future of Banking" organised by the Pakistan Banks' Association with LUMS. Discussions are under way, he said, and the government will move ahead only once the cabinet has signed off.
Tokenisation means representing a financial asset, such as a bond, as a digital token on a blockchain, which is expected to make transactions faster and cheaper. Aurangzeb also pointed to remittances as a possible use, noting that Pakistan received $41.6 billion in the last fiscal year and that first-quarter inflows suggest this year's total could exceed $44 billion.
The minister said digital assets should be judged by the economic benefits they deliver: cheaper transfers for families, faster payments for businesses, affordable finance for entrepreneurs and productive investment without risking financial stability. Pakistan, he added, is moving from macroeconomic stability towards sustainable growth, which requires fiscal discipline, stronger exports and more private investment.