Pakistan’s crypto chief meets New York City mayor, pushes for global blockchain cooperation

In a high-profile meeting at Gracie Mansion, New York City Mayor Eric Adams extended a symbolic gesture of camaraderie to Pakistan by telling Bilal Bin Saqib, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Crypto and Blockchain, “We consider New York to be Lahore.”

The remark, made during an official diplomatic engagement, highlighted the growing ties between the two emerging hubs of digital finance and innovation.

The meeting marked a key step toward building direct collaboration between the New York Crypto Council and the Pakistan Crypto Council—two government-backed bodies committed to shaping the future of Web3, read a statement released by the Ministry of Finance on Friday.

Both New York City and Pakistan have taken bold steps by establishing dedicated crypto councils to support the responsible growth of the digital economy.

During the meeting, Mayor Adams and SAPM Saqib explored opportunities to co-develop knowledge-sharing initiatives, capacity-building programs, and strategic advisory efforts to foster innovation while ensuring regulatory compliance.

The two leaders also discussed shared challenges and approaches to growing the digital asset economy in diverse, high-potential markets, read the statement.

The meeting marked the final stop on Saqib’s official US tour focused on blockchain innovation, public-private partnerships, and advancing global crypto collaboration.

Earlier, Saqib met with the Executive Director of President Trump’s Council on Digital Assets, Robert ‘Bo’ Hines, at the White House.

During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation between Pakistan and the United States in the field of digital assets. Key areas of discussion included Bitcoin, future partnerships, and potential collaboration in the evolving global digital economy.

They also discussed strategic alignment on digital assets, Bitcoin integration and the future of decentralised infrastructure.

A major topic of the meeting was Pakistan’s recently announced strategic Bitcoin reserves, which were explored in detail as a step toward strengthening the country’s position in the digital finance space.