ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) announced on Saturday the participation of the country’s national women’s futsal squad in the Asian Cup tournament next year, marking it their first competition under the auspices of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Futsal, a dynamic indoor variant of soccer played with a smaller, harder ball, emphasizes skill and control over physical power, and is popular in countries like Brazil, Portugal, and Spain. Recognized by major soccer organizations, including FIFA, the game’s focus on quick passing and space management has contributed to its growing global appeal.
“I am pleased to announce that the PFF has confirmed the participation of the Women’s Futsal team in the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup 2025,” PFF Chairman Haroon Malik said in a statement. “This participation highlights PFF’s commitment to developing women’s futsal in Pakistan and providing our players with opportunities to compete at the international level.”
To prepare for the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup 2025, the PFF has organized five Futsal National Cup (FNC) competitions in major cities across Pakistan.
The qualification round for the tournament will begin at the start at the outset of the next year, with the round of 12 set to take place in May 2025.
Pakistani authorities have been actively seeking to diversify athletic interests and skills beyond the nation’s predominant passion for cricket, promoting sports like futsal to broaden the athletic landscape.
Despite the cultural and social hurdles, these efforts include encouraging more participation among women, who rarely have opportunities to engage in sports and international competitions.
Pakistan Football Federation announces women’s futsal team participation in next year’s Asian Cup
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Pakistan Football Federation announces women’s futsal team participation in next year’s Asian Cup
- Futsal, a dynamic indoor variant of soccer played with a smaller ball, emphasizes skill and control over physical power
- The competition will mark the first time the national women’s futsal squad will compete in any premier competition
Pakistan, global crypto exchange discuss modernizing digital payments, creating job prospects
- Pakistani officials, Binance team discuss coordination between Islamabad, local banks and global exchanges
- Pakistan has attempted to tap into growing crypto market to curb illicit transactions, improve oversight
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s finance officials and the team of a global cryptocurrency exchange on Friday held discussions aimed at modernizing the country’s digital payments system and building local talent pipelines to meet rising demand for blockchain and Web3 skills, the finance ministry said.
The development took place during a high-level meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman Bilal bin Saqib, domestic bank presidents and a Binance team led by Global CEO Richard Teng. The meeting was held to advance work on Pakistan’s National Digital Asset Framework, a regulatory setup to govern Pakistan’s digital assets.
Pakistan has been moving to regulate its fast-growing crypto and digital assets market by bringing virtual asset service providers (VASPs) under a formal licensing regime. Officials say the push is aimed at curbing illicit transactions, improving oversight, and encouraging innovation in blockchain-based financial services.
“Participants reviewed opportunities to modernize Pakistan’s digital payments landscape, noting that blockchain-based systems could significantly reduce costs from the country’s $38 billion annual remittance flows,” the finance ministry said in a statement.
“Discussions also emphasized building local talent pipelines to meet rising global demand for blockchain and Web3 skills, creating high-value employment prospects for Pakistani youth.”
Blockchain is a type of digital database that is shared, transparent and tamper-resistant. Instead of being stored on one computer, the data is kept on a distributed network of computers, making it very hard to alter or hack.
Web3 refers to the next generation of the Internet built using blockchain, focusing on giving users more control over their data, identity and digital assets rather than big tech companies controlling it.
Participants of the meeting also discussed sovereign debt tokenization, which is the process of converting a country’s debt such as government bonds, into digital tokens on a blockchain, the ministry said.
Aurangzeb called for close coordination between the government, domestic banks and global exchanges to modernize Pakistan’s payment landscape.
Participants of the meeting also discussed considering a “time-bound amnesty” to encourage users to move assets onto regulated platforms, stressing the need for stronger verifications and a risk-mitigation system.
Pakistan has attempted in recent months to tap into the country’s growing crypto market, crack down on money laundering and terror financing, and promote responsible innovation — a move analysts say could bring an estimated $25 billion in virtual assets into the tax net.
In September, Islamabad invited international crypto exchanges and other VASPs to apply for licenses to operate in the country, a step aimed at formalizing and regulating its fast-growing digital market.
