President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador hosted Pakistan’s Minister of Crypto, Bilal Bin Saqib, for a gathering targeted on increasing international Bitcoin collaboration.
In line with an official statement, the 2 leaders mentioned three main subjects: Bitcoin mining and power sources, the creation of strategic Bitcoin reserves, and advancing Bitcoin schooling of their respective international locations.
El Salvador made history in 2021 by turning into the primary nation to declare Bitcoin authorized tender. Since then, the nation has launched a state-run “Bitcoin piggy financial institution” holding over 6,240 BTC, price greater than $400 million. They’ve mined an extra $29 million in Bitcoin using geothermal energy from the Tecapa volcano—one of many world’s few government-run inexperienced mining operations.
Past its monetary holdings, El Salvador can also be investing within the subsequent era. In April of this yr, the Ministry of Training introduced a nationwide rollout of a Bitcoin-focused curriculum titled “What Is Cash?”, concentrating on college students aged 7–13. It’s a part of a push that features the Mi Primer Bitcoin program and the CUBO+ university-level scholarship initiative.
In the meantime, Pakistan has undergone a coverage shift. In March, the nation announced plans to legalize Bitcoin and crypto and set up a regulatory framework to draw international funding. “Pakistan is finished sitting on the sidelines,” stated Saqib. “We need to appeal to worldwide funding as a result of Pakistan is a low-cost, high-growth market with 60% of the inhabitants below 30.”
Simply weeks earlier than at the moment’s assembly, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Saqib held a high-profile conversation with Technique Government Chairman Michael Saylor. The dialogue centered on how Bitcoin might play a transformative function in Pakistan’s economic system.
Pakistan additionally just lately announced plans to make the most of surplus electrical energy for Bitcoin mining and AI knowledge facilities—positioning itself as a brand new hub for digital infrastructure. The nation just lately appointed Binance founder Changpeng Zhao as a strategic crypto advisor and has entered talks with a number of mining companies.
Throughout the 2025 Bitcoin Convention in Las Vegas, Saqib made headlines by declaring:
“At this time, I’ll announce that the Pakistan authorities is establishing their very own government-led Bitcoin strategic reserve… and this pockets, the nationwide Bitcoin pockets. It’s not for hypothesis or hype. We shall be holding this Bitcoin and we are going to by no means ever promote them.”
