From crisis to crypto: Pakistan launches strategic Bitcoin reserve

In a groundbreaking announcement that positioned Pakistan as a new player in the global digital economy, Bilal Bin Saqib, the newly appointed Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Blockchain and Crypto and CEO of the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC), unveiled the country’s first government-backed strategic Bitcoin reserve.

Bilal announced the development at Bitcoin Vegas 2025, while addressing an elite audience that included the Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, Eric Trump, and Donald Trump Jr, read a statement released by the Office of the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) /Minister of State on Blockchain and Crypto on Thursday.

“This wasn’t just a policy moment — it was a rebranding of a nation,” the SAPM said.

“I’m not just here as a minister,” he said. “I’m here as the voice of a generation — a generation that is online, on-chain, and unstoppable.”

Pakistan is home to 40 million crypto wallets and one of the largest and most active freelancer economies in the world, he shared.

During his keynote address, Bilal also 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 signalling long-term belief in decentralised finance”.

The SAPM shared that the government has allocated 2,000 megawatts (MW) of surplus electricity in Phase 1 for Bitcoin mining and AI data centres, “opening doors to sovereign miners, tech firms, and clean energy partners around the world”.

With AI and Bitcoin mining operations requiring massive, consistent power, Pakistan’s surplus electricity, particularly from underutilised plants, is being repurposed into a lucrative opportunity.

“This is just the beginning because we have over 100 million unbanked people. They lack tools for saving for investment, and we want to change that. We want them to break their economic classes, and I really believe that crypto can help us take that quantum leap,” said Bilal.

Days ago, the government announced the establishment of a dedicated body — the Pakistan Digital Assets Authority (PDAA) — to regulate blockchain-based financial infrastructure, read a statement released by the Ministry of Finance.

“Both Pakistan and Bitcoin have suffered from bad PR,” Bilal declared. “But if you look past the headlines, you’ll see something else: talent, resilience, and vision.”

“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,” he added.

Bilal also thanked President Donald Trump for his role as a “peacemaker in the recent India-Pakistan conflict and for his commitment to crypto adoption”.