Pakistan has announced major steps toward embracing cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence, including plans to establish a government-backed Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and AI development zones.

Bilal Bin Saqib, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, shared these developments during a meeting with Robert ‘Bo’ Hines, cryptocurrency advisor to former US President Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas.

Saqib highlighted Pakistan’s commitment to building infrastructure for Bitcoin mining and introducing a Financial Action Task Force (FATF)-compliant regulatory framework for digital assets. He emphasized potential Pakistan-US collaboration in advancing crypto markets and praised US policy as a guiding influence in Pakistan’s crypto strategy.

During his keynote address at the conference, Saqib formally announced the creation of Pakistan’s first government-led Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. He clarified that the reserve, to be maintained in a national Bitcoin wallet, would serve as a sovereign asset and would not be used for speculative purposes.

The event featured high-profile attendees, including US Vice President JD Vance, Eric Trump, and Donald Trump Jr. Saqib also thanked President Donald Trump for supporting cryptocurrency adoption and helping ease recent tensions between India and Pakistan.