Pakistan's Bold Leap into Bitcoin: A Strategic Reserve on the Horizon

Government Launches National Bitcoin Wallet at Bitcoin 2025 Conference

Hold onto your hats, folks! Pakistan just dropped a bombshell at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Vegas. Bilal Bin Saqib, the bigwig at the newly minted Pakistan Crypto Council, spilled the beans about the government's plan to set up a national Bitcoin wallet. And get this—they're in it for the long haul, holding onto those digital coins like a dragon hoarding gold!

Saqib made it crystal clear that this isn't some wild market gamble. Nope, it's all part of a grand state strategy. "We will never, ever sell the Bitcoin we get our hands on," he declared, sending shockwaves through the crowd.

Pakistan's flipping the script on its old doubts, taking a page right out of the U.S. playbook by establishing its own Bitcoin reserve. Saqib said they're diving headfirst into blockchain-based financial systems, inspired by the big moves across the pond.

While the exact size of Pakistan's Bitcoin stash is still under wraps, one thing's for sure—they're dead set on acquiring and holding onto it. Whether they'll buy it straight up or through some other slick method remains to be seen.

This bombshell comes hot on the heels of Pakistan's broader push to weave blockchain tech into its public and economic fabric.

But wait, there's more! Saqib also let slip plans to channel a whopping 2,000 megawatts of surplus electricity into Bitcoin mining and AI data centers. They're aiming to rake in cash, create jobs, and lure in foreign bucks. It's a genius move to put that extra energy to work and give the power sector a much-needed facelift.

Pakistan Digital Assets Authority: The Backbone of Digital Finance

Pakistan's not messing around. They've just revealed plans to set up the Pakistan Digital Assets Authority (PDAA), a regulatory beast backed by the Ministry of Finance to keep an eye on the country's digital asset scene.

The PDAA's got its work cut out for it, licensing and monitoring crypto exchanges, custodians, tokenization platforms, and all sorts of related services. It's the linchpin of Pakistan's digital finance game plan.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb himself said the agency is key to putting Pakistan at the cutting edge of financial innovation.

But the PDAA's not just about keeping things in check. They're also diving into tokenizing state assets, rolling out blockchain-based debt, and steering the development of decentralized finance infrastructure.

Saqib's Pakistan Crypto Council is pulling the strings behind these game-changing reforms. Fresh on the scene this year, the Council's been rubbing elbows with international big shots, including none other than Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao, who's now on board as a strategic advisor for blockchain and regulatory wizardry.