Las Vegas: In a landmark move that signals Pakistan’s entry into the global digital economy, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Blockchain and Crypto Bilal Bin Saqib unveiled the country’s first state-backed Bitcoin reserve and digital wallet at the Bitcoin Vegas 2025 summit.
The announcement was made before an elite international audience, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Eric Trump, and Donald Trump Jr. The statement released by the Office of the SAPM on Blockchain and Crypto described the moment as not just a policy shift but a strategic rebranding of Pakistan.
“I’m not just here as a minister,” Bilal said during his keynote address. “I’m here as the voice of a generation — a generation that is online, on-chain, and unstoppable.”
The newly launched national Bitcoin wallet will hold digital assets already in state custody — not for speculation, but as a sovereign reserve. According to Bilal, this signals Pakistan’s long-term commitment to decentralised finance and digital innovation.
Pakistan, which is home to over 40 million crypto wallets and one of the world’s largest freelance economies, has also allocated 2,000 megawatts (MW) of surplus electricity for Bitcoin mining and artificial intelligence (AI) data centres in the first phase of its initiative.
“This is just the beginning,” Bilal said, referring to Pakistan’s over 100 million unbanked citizens. “We want them to break economic barriers, and I believe crypto can help us make that quantum leap.”
The government’s efforts include the recent creation of the Pakistan Digital Assets Authority (PDAA), a new body established under the Ministry of Finance to regulate blockchain-based financial infrastructure in the country.
“Both Pakistan and Bitcoin have suffered from bad PR,” Bilal noted. “But if you look past the headlines, you’ll see talent, resilience, and vision.”
Calling on the global tech and crypto communities, he added: “Come build wallets for the unbanked. Come tokenise land. Come scale your mission with our youth and our unstoppable grit.”
Bilal also expressed gratitude to former U.S. President Donald Trump for his support of crypto adoption and efforts to maintain peace in the South Asian region. This strategic step places Pakistan among the first few countries to hold Bitcoin as a sovereign asset and formally embrace blockchain as part of its digital economic policy.
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