Pakistan central bank lifts ban on crypto services for banks, opening access for over 259 million people

Pakistan’s central bank has officially lifted its ban on banks and financial institutions providing cryptocurrency services, opening a legal route for the country’s roughly 2.59 billion people to access the crypto market. The report specifically names XRP as one of the assets expected to benefit. Pakistan’s prime minister publicly voiced support for the technology, calling crypto “the tool of the future.” The move marks a substantive shift in the national regulatory framework rather than a temporary pilot or vague statement, and it is described as having legal force and an execution pathway that would directly enable local institutions to offer XRP-related custody, settlement and cross-border payments.