Islamabad, May 29 (EFE).- Pakistan on Thursday unveiled the country’s first government-led strategic bitcoin reserve after allocating 2000 megawatts of electricity for the first phase for bitcoin mining and AI data centers.
Bilal Bin Saqib, chief executive officer of the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) and prime minister’s adviser for crypto and blockchain, made the announcement about the reserve after delivering a keynote address at the Bitcoin Vegas 2025 in Las Vegas.
The audience included US Vice President JD Vance, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr, among others.
“I am not just here as a minister. I am here as the voice of a generation — a generation that is online, on-chain, and unstoppable,” Saqib said.
In his speech, he announced the establishment of a national bitcoin wallet, “holding digital assets already in state custody — not for sale or speculation, but as a sovereign reserve signaling long-term belief in decentralized finance.”
The announcement came days after the government allocated 2000MW of surplus electricity in the first phase for bitcoin mining and AI data centrers, opening doors to sovereign miners, tech firms, and clean energy partners around the world.
Saqib also thanked Trump for his role as a peacemaker in the recent India-Pakistan conflict and for his commitment to crypto adoption.
His office said in a statement that Pakistan has over 40 million crypto wallets and one of the “largest and most active freelancer economies in the world.”
It added that Saqib was leading the creation of the Pakistan Digital Assets Authority (PDAA) — a regulatory body designed to empower builders, protect investors, and formalize digital finance frameworks for the future.
“Both Pakistan and bitcoin have suffered from bad PR,” Saqib declared. “But if you look past the headlines, you’ll see something else: talent, resilience, and vision.”
He called on global crypto builders to come and invest in Pakistan. “If you’re building something real — come build it in Pakistan. Come build wallets for the unbanked. Come tokenise land. Come scale your mission with our youth and our unstoppable grit.”
During his keynote, Saqib delivered a “blueprint for the future of emerging markets in Web3 that positions Pakistan as a tech-forward, youth-powered, and opportunity-rich nation ready to lead,” the statement concluded.
On Feb. 25, the government had announced it was considering establishing a National Crypto Council to adopt emerging digital currencies in line with global trends.
In March, it appointed Saqib as the chief adviser to the finance minister on the PCC and later made him the council’s CEO.
According to a press release, Saqib will now be responsible for developing a comprehensive, FATF-compliant regulatory framework for digital assets, launching bitcoin mining initiatives, and overseeing blockchain integration in governance, finance, and land records. EFE
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