Nazia Saeed
In a bold move aimed at embracing digital innovation, the Pakistani government has unveiled plans to create a strategic bitcoin reserve and dedicate 2,000 megawatts of energy to support crypto mining and AI infrastructure. The announcement was made on Wednesday by Bilal Bin Saqib, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Blockchain and Crypto, during the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas.
Inspired by U.S. strategic Bitcoin reserve
According to Bin Saqib, Pakistan’s initiative takes inspiration from a similar effort under the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump, which is developing a strategic bitcoin reserve sourced primarily from government holdings of seized assets—estimated at approximately 200,000 BTC. Echoing this model, Pakistan intends to accumulate and securely hold bitcoin without engaging in speculative trading.
“This wallet, the national bitcoin wallet, is not for speculation or hype,” Bin Saqib emphasized in his speech at the conference. “We will be holding these bitcoins, and we will never, ever sell them.”
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Major energy allocation for mining and AI
In a move to further bolster its crypto infrastructure, Pakistan has earmarked a substantial 2,000 megawatts of energy for bitcoin mining operations and AI data centers. This energy reserve is intended to attract global mining and tech firms to establish operations in the country.
“We want to welcome all miners to come to Pakistan, all the infrastructure players to come to Pakistan and build with us,” Bin Saqib said, positioning the country as an emerging hub for digital asset innovation.
A broader vision for financial inclusion and blockchain integration
Bin Saqib framed the bitcoin reserve as the first step in a broader national strategy to leverage blockchain technology for economic transformation. With over 100 million unbanked citizens, Pakistan aims to use crypto solutions to expand financial inclusion and access to investment tools.
“We want to change that. We want them to break their economic classes,” he said. “And I believe that crypto and blockchain can help us take that quantum leap.”
He also outlined aspirations to tokenize illiquid assets and introduce digital ID systems, signaling a comprehensive effort to modernize Pakistan’s financial infrastructure.
“Pakistan is looking for allies. Pakistan is looking for access…Because Pakistan wants to build,” he concluded to a cheering crowd and a roaring round of applause.
