3 min read
Las Vegas: At Bitcoin Vegas 2025, Bilal Bin Saqib, Pakistan’s Minister for Crypto & Blockchain and CEO of the Pakistan Crypto Council, announced the country’s first government-led Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. The announcement was made in front of a prominent audience, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Eric Trump, and Donald Trump Jr.
The keynote highlighted a significant shift in Pakistan’s global image, presenting it as a rising hub of digital innovation.
Bilal Bin Saqib emphasized a generational transformation in his remarks, stating,
“I’m not just here as a minister,” and added, “I’m here as the voice of a generation — a generation that is online, on-chain, and unstoppable.”
At 34, Bilal has emerged as a key advocate for Pakistan’s digital future. The country, now home to over 40 million crypto wallets and a median age of 23, also boasts one of the world’s most active freelance economies.
Bold Moves with Global Impact
During his address, Bilal outlined major initiatives, including the creation of a national Bitcoin wallet. This wallet, holding digital assets in state custody, is not intended for sale or speculation but will serve as a sovereign reserve—a signal of long-term confidence in decentralized finance.
He also acknowledged former President Donald Trump for his “role as a peacemaker” in the recent India-Pakistan conflict and for “his commitment to crypto adoption.”
Further expanding on Pakistan’s digital plans, Bilal revealed that the government has allocated 2,000 megawatts of surplus electricity in Phase 1 for Bitcoin mining and AI data centers. This move aims to attract sovereign miners, technology firms, and global clean energy partners.
Bilal also announced the formation of the Pakistan Digital Assets Authority (PDAA)—a new regulatory body intended to protect investors, empower developers, and create formal frameworks for digital finance in the country.
Quoting further, Bilal stated,
“Both Pakistan and Bitcoin have suffered from bad PR,” but urged the audience to look deeper: “But if you look past the headlines, you’ll see something else: talent, resilience, and vision.”
His speech concluded with a call to action directed at the global Web3 community:
“If you’re building something real, come build it in Pakistan. Come build wallets for the unbanked. Come tokenize land. Come scale your mission with our youth and our unstoppable grit.”
The keynote was viewed as more than a policy declaration. Observers noted it as a strategic blueprint positioning Pakistan as a leading force among emerging markets in the Web3 and digital finance landscape.
