The federal government has moved to strengthen monitoring of the gold and precious metals sector as part of a broader crackdown on money laundering and terror financing, officials from the Ministry of Finance told ProPakistani.
The State Bank of Pakistan has rolled out a new monitoring system aimed at curbing trade-based money laundering, a risk highlighted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a key challenge for the country.
The new measures will intensify oversight of gold dealers, real estate agents, and other non-financial businesses and professionals, ensuring that all sectors vulnerable to illicit financial flows are effectively monitored.
Regulators have announced plans to closely monitor real estate agents and dealers, a sector long viewed as high-risk for laundering illicit funds. The move is aimed at increasing transparency in property transactions and preventing the use of real estate markets to conceal illegal wealth.
As part of an expanded anti-money laundering framework, all non-financial businesses and professions will now face effective regulation, closing gaps that could be exploited for money laundering or terror financing. This broadened approach extends beyond traditional banking channels to include a wide range of sectors.
The International Monetary Fund has warned that Pakistan continues to face significant risks from trade-based money laundering. In response, authorities are enhancing inter-agency coordination to address these vulnerabilities more comprehensively.
Authorities said the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), State Bank, and Financial Monitoring Unit are jointly assessing the economic impact of trade-based money laundering. The National Risk Assessment Report, which will guide future policy, is expected to be shared with relevant institutions by March 2026.
This report is expected to serve as a roadmap for targeted policy actions across the financial system.
In a related move, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) established a central beneficial ownership registry in July 2025. This registry will be made available online to financial institutions and law enforcement agencies by January 2026, further enhancing transparency in the financial sector.
Officials noted that Pakistan was removed from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in October 2022, but emphasized that the country continues to implement FATF’s conditions and recommendations to safeguard its financial system against money laundering and terror financing.
