Pakistan is pursuing a formal strategy to hold Bitcoin as a national asset, according to Bilal Bin Saqib, chairman of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA).
Saqib presented the concept at Bitcoin Vegas 2025 on May 29, 2025, proposing that Pakistan formalize seized cryptocurrency holdings into a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve managed through a national wallet. Law enforcement agencies across the country have accumulated digital assets through criminal proceedings, and the reserve would consolidate these holdings for transparency and accountability.
By February 2026, Saqib reported that the first governance milestone had been achieved: transitioning state-held digital assets into formal custody arrangements.
Regulatory Infrastructure and Licensing
Pakistan enacted the Virtual Assets Act 2026, which formally established PVARA as the country's digital asset regulator and created a licensing portal for virtual asset service providers. The licensing infrastructure was built on approximately $200,000, representing about 8% of the authority's total budget.
Saqib took the PVARA chairmanship in May 2025, having previously served as CEO of the Pakistan Crypto Council. He has framed digital assets as tools for financial inclusion rather than speculative instruments, positioning them as relevant to Pakistan's significant unbanked population.
Market Scale and Energy Allocation
Pakistan reportedly has around 40 million digital asset users, making it one of the world's largest retail crypto markets. Until recently, this activity operated largely outside formal regulatory oversight.
The government has also allocated 2,000 megawatts of surplus electricity toward Bitcoin mining and AI data center operations as part of its broader digital development strategy.
