Entertainment
Fear, fiat and the future
Pakistan has quietly crossed an important threshold. After laying the legal foundations for a regulated digital-assets ecosystem through the Digital Nation Pakistan Act and the Virtual Asset Regulatory Ordinance earlier this year, the Pakistan Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (PVARA) began accepting licence applications for crypto exchanges on December 2.
That shift was underscored at the highest levels of the state on December 6, when Binance Global CEO Richard Teng met in Islamabad with senior policymakers, alongside Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and COAS-CDF Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
The engagement reflected not market curiosity, but institutional intent: an acknowledgement that questions of money, payments and digital value now sit alongside national economic and security priorities.
In practical terms, this means that, in due course, buying bitcoin through regulated local payment rails will become easier, cleaner and compliant.
This is a notable development, arriving at a familiar moment of fear. Bitcoin prices are down again. Critics are loud. Headlines speak of exhaustion, excess, and the end of the cycle. Cash-outs accelerate. Confidence wobbles. Fear, once again, dominates the conversation.
But history offers perspective. Similar periods of pessimism marked the closing phases of the previous four-year bitcoin cycles: from 2014 to 2017, and again from 2018 to 2021. Viewed through that lens, the currency cycle that began in 2022 is not collapsing; it is maturing.
Focusing solely on price action obscures the deeper issue. The real risk is not bitcoin’s volatility. It is the financial system that bitcoin was created to question. Nowhere is that system’s failure more visible than in Pakistan. At its core, that failure manifests through inflation: a process widely misunderstood and routinely misdescribed. Inflation is often explained as prices going up.
That description is convenient and incomplete. Prices are not the cause of inflation; they are its effect. Inflation begins with the continuous expansion of the money supply. When currency is created year after year, the purchasing power of every unit declines. Savers lose quietly. Salaries lag. Living standards erode.
In Pakistan, the consequences are everywhere. Food, fuel, rent and education cost more each year: not because they have become intrinsically more valuable, but because the currency measuring them buys less. The result is a population trapped in short-term thinking: working harder, saving less and feeling perpetually behind.
Crucially, this erosion occurs without transparency or consent. A small group controls the monetary system. Everyone else must ask permission to use their own money through banks and intermediaries. Profits are privatised. Losses are socialised. Asset bubbles form, crises follow and wealth concentrates further at the top.
No matter how hard most people work, the value of their earnings continues to erode unless they gain access to assets ahead of inflation or become part of the system itself. Pakistan’s recurring economic crises are not isolated national failures; they are local expressions of a global monetary order that rewards access over effort. This is the quiet failure of money.
Which brings us to the alternative. Bitcoin enters this landscape not as an investment pitch, but as a monetary alternative. It is decentralised and returns agency to individuals. It functions as an equaliser in societies increasingly fractured by economic stress and resentment. Its properties are straightforward.
Bitcoin has a fixed supply of 21 million coins, permanently capped. No central authority can expand it. No political emergency can dilute it. Its rules are enforced by code rather than discretion, and its security rests on energy and mathematics, not faith in institutions.
While bitcoin is often dismissed as volatile, that volatility has unfolded within a clear long-term upward trajectory, while its underlying fundamentals have remained unchanged. Over longer horizons, it has been the best-performing asset of the past decade. More revealing, however, is what happens when goods are priced in bitcoin rather than local currency.
Housing, technology and productive assets often become cheaper over time: not because value disappears, but because the money measuring them improves.
In 2012, a modest home in Islamabad priced at a few million rupees would have required thousands of bitcoins. Today, that same property may cost tens of millions of rupees, yet only a single-digit amount of bitcoin. The house did not change. The currency did.
For Pakistan, a country where money not only underperforms but also routinely collapses as a store of value, and where debasement is felt long before it is formally acknowledged, this distinction matters. Regulation does not validate bitcoin’s price, nor does it eliminate risk.
What it does is legitimise access. As compliant frameworks take shape and local rails develop, bitcoin is increasingly encountered not as a speculative instrument but as a savings technology, competing directly with a currency that has struggled to preserve purchasing power.
This matters most for a younger generation priced out of real estate, excluded from traditional asset classes and increasingly sceptical of institutions that promise stability but deliver erosion. Bitcoin does not require property deeds, brokerage accounts or political proximity. It requires only time, discipline and a long-term horizon.
Bitcoin offers no guarantees. It carries real risk. But it restores something modern money has quietly taken away: the choice to opt out of a system designed to dilute by default. In a world where money has quietly failed its most basic functions, that choice may be the most powerful feature of all.
Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed in this piece are the writer’s own and don’t necessarily reflect Geo.tv’s editorial policy.
The writer is an Islamabad-based lawyer and Strategic Legal Counsel at HP | FKM. She can be reached at: [email protected]
Originally published in The News
- 500,000 kites sold in Lahore markets on Tuesday alone: officials.
- Two-day public holiday announced in Punjab on Feb 6-7.
- Met Office says weather to remain suitable for kite-flying.
More than Rs540 million worth of kite string and kites were sold in Lahore over three days ahead of Basant, reflecting strong public enthusiasm as the historic festival returns to the city after 25 years.
According to the Kite Association, over 500,000 kites were sold in city markets on Tuesday alone, as buying activity for Basant continued for the third consecutive day.
The festival is set to be celebrated in Lahore from February 6 to 8, following the lifting of a long-standing ban under strict conditions.
Markets designated for kite-flying material remained crowded as enthusiasts prepared for the festival’s return after more than two decades.
A large number of buyers thronged the Mochi Gate market to purchase kite strings and kites of their choice. The festive mood was heightened by the district administration’s Basant float, where the beats of dhol added to the excitement of shoppers.
Some citizens, however, complained that the prices of kites and string were too high, calling on the government to take steps to bring prices down.
Senior Provincial Minister Maryam Aurangzeb also visited Mochi Gate to review Basant shopping arrangements. Speaking to the media, she said that preparations for a safe Basant had been completed and urged citizens to strictly follow SOPs while celebrating the festival.
Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced a Basant celebration at Liberty Chowk on February 7.
Moreover, public holiday has been announced across the province on February 6 and 7, according to an official notification issued by the Punjab administration.
Lahore has been swept in colours as the Basant preparations peaked, with a giant kite installed at Liberty Chowk as part of the celebrations.
It may be noted that the Punjab cabinet allowed the manufacturing of kite-flying material not only in Lahore but also in four other districts. The provincial government has said foolproof security arrangements are being put in place to ensure safety during the event.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, Lahore’s weather during Basant will remain cold and dry on February 6 and 7, while partly cloudy conditions are expected on February 8. The department said the weather conditions from
February 6 to 8 will be suitable for kite flying, with winds blowing at 10 to 15 kilometres per hour.
The Met Office has advised kite flyers to avoid electricity wires.
Nicola Peltz’s billionaire father, Nelson, has weighed in on the Beckham feud.
Nelson’s son-in-law Brooklyn, 26, released a bombshell statement last week in which he criticised his parents, Sir David 51, and Lady Victoria Beckham 50, and accused them of mistreating his wife, 30.
Now, the business magnate, 83, who was previously reported to give his daughter $1 million a-month allowance spoke about the family drama during a Q and A at WSJD’s Invest Live in West Beach event on Tuesday.
Nelson said: ‘My daughter and the Beckhams are a whole other story and that’s not for coverage here today. But I’ll tell you my daughter is great, my son-in-law Brooklyn is great and I look forward to them having a long, happy marriage together.’
Nelson was also asked if he gave the couple advice in how to navigate a difficult situation.
He replied: ‘I do. Sometimes they give me advice.’
For context, Nicola’s father is a businessman with an estimated net worth of $1.6billion, compared with the Beckhams’ reported $680million.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn’s family have maintained silence since the aspiring chef penned his frustrations about his parents, sharing his reasons for cutting ties with them.
Brooklyn’s parents Sir David and Victoria and his siblings Romeo, 23, Cruz, 20, and Harper, 14, instead put on their own show of unity at Haute Couture Fashion Week last week.
Entertainment
Sheriff says ransom note being investigated in disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, Savannah Guthrie’s mother
A ransom note was sent to a local Arizona news station following the disappearance of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, the Pima County sheriff told CBS News.
The note, which the station received Monday and agreed not to report on, contained specific details about the home and what Nancy Guthrie was wearing that night, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said, although he would not confirm the accuracy of that information or the legitimacy of the note.
“It’s like any piece of evidence,” Nanos told CBS News. “You give it to us, you give us a lead, we’re going to look at every aspect of that lead.”
Nanos did not specify which station the note was sent to, but CBS affiliate KOLD-TV reported Tuesday it had received an email that “appears to be one of the alleged ransom notes,” which it forwarded to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators have analyzed the note and are taking it seriously, Nanos said.
He said the FBI reviewed the note and made the decision to share it with Savannah Guthrie. Authorities had hoped to keep the information from becoming public, but the note was obtained by TMZ, which reported on it before contacting the sheriff’s office, Nanos said.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department had earlier said on social media it was aware of “reports circulating about possible ransom note(s),” adding, “Anything that comes in, goes directly to our detectives who are coordinating with the FBI.”
Surveillance video from a home security system has yielded nothing so far, Nanos told CBS News. He said investigators believe the system may have been set to automatically delete footage after a short period of time, and they are now attempting to recover it through forensic means.
Nanos previously told CBS News that investigators believe the 84-year-old was abducted from her home in the middle of the night over the weekend, and he described it as “a crime scene.” Authorities have been searching for her since Sunday.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home Saturday night, but no one knew she was missing until she didn’t show up for church the next morning, Nanos said.
The sheriff has repeatedly said Guthrie, who lives alone, could not have wandered away from her home because she has no cognitive issues and very limited mobility.
He also expressed concern that she needs access medication that she must take daily, telling CBS News, “The clock is literally ticking.”
“You’ve placed her in great jeopardy without giving her meds that are critical to her,” Nanos said. “Again, like I’ve said, could be fatal if she doesn’t get those meds.”
The sheriff has said it’s unclear how many people may have been involved in the apparent abduction.
“It could be one, it could’ve been more, I don’t know,” he said.
A little bit of blood was found inside Nancy Guthrie’s Tucson home, a law enforcement source familiar with the case told CBS News, and what appeared to be a small amount of dried blood was seen next to a doormat outside the front door of the home on Tuesday.
TDS alert! Important February compliance dates you must track– Check Full list
US’ Nike launches Air Max 95 City Pack inspired by global culture
Musk’s net worth soars past $800 billion after SpaceX‑xAI deal
-
Sports1 week agoPSL 11: Local players’ category renewals unveiled ahead of auction
-
Entertainment1 week agoClaire Danes reveals how she reacted to pregnancy at 44
-
Sports1 week agoCollege football’s top 100 games of the 2025 season
-
Business1 week agoBanking services disrupted as bank employees go on nationwide strike demanding five-day work week
-
Politics1 week agoTrump vows to ‘de-escalate’ after Minneapolis shootings
-
Sports1 week agoTammy Abraham joins Aston Villa 1 day after Besiktas transfer
-
Entertainment1 week agoK-Pop star Rosé to appear in special podcast before Grammy’s
-
Tech1 week agoBrighten Your Darkest Time (of Year) With This Smart Home Upgrade