Pakistan’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
At the Bitcoin 2025 Conference, Bilal Bin Saqib, Executive Director of the Pakistan Crypto Council, announced that Pakistan will establish a government-led strategic Bitcoin reserve — marking the country’s official entry into the growing global movement of sovereign Bitcoin holdings.
“This wallet — the national Bitcoin wallet — is not for speculation or trading. We will hold these Bitcoins long-term, never to sell them.”
It remains unclear how many Bitcoins Pakistan intends to hold or whether the assets will be acquired through direct purchase or other means. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed Bilal Bin Saqib as his Special Assistant on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Affairs, signaling strong political backing for the initiative.
2,000 MW Investment in Mining and AI Infrastructure
In addition to the reserve, Bin Saqib also announced a massive 2,000-megawatt investment to support Bitcoin mining and AI data center development in Pakistan. He stated that the government will also explore the tokenization of illiquid assets and the application of blockchain technology to improve governmental efficiency.
Rapid Policy Rollout
In mid-May 2025, Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance launched the Pakistan Digital Asset Management Authority to regulate the local crypto industry. This move came shortly after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Pakistan Crypto Council and the Trump family-backed crypto project World Liberty Financial (WLFI). The two parties aim to jointly promote blockchain adoption and implementation across Pakistan.
Bin Saqib noted that these initiatives were heavily inspired by recent pro-crypto developments in the U.S., including President Trump’s executive order to establish a U.S. national Bitcoin reserve.
U.S. and China Lead in Government Bitcoin Holdings
Currently, the U.S. government holds approximately 200,000 BTC, primarily acquired through criminal and civil asset forfeitures, making it the world’s largest known sovereign Bitcoin holder. China ranks second in global Bitcoin holdings.
