Pakistan "Bitcoin, a core element of national infrastructure and an asset"

The Pakistani government has publicly stated that it will make Bitcoin and virtual assets (cryptocurrencies) a central pillar of the national financial system.

On the 11th (local time), according to Cryptopolitan, Bilal Bin Saqib, Pakistan's Minister of State for Virtual Assets and Blockchain, said at the 'Bitcoin MENA Conference' recently held in Abu Dhabi, "Bitcoin, digital assets, and blockchain are not speculative instruments but key elements of national infrastructure," adding that "they are essential assets for building Pakistan's new financial system."

In an official statement released earlier this week, he also said, "Pakistan can no longer rely on an outdated economic model," and "a new engine is needed to drive economic growth, and that is virtual assets."

Minister Saqib was recently appointed as the inaugural chairman of the newly established Pakistan Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (PVARA) and previously served as special adviser to the Prime Minister overseeing blockchain and virtual asset policy. He said, "The goal is to transform Pakistan, one of the world's largest unregulated virtual asset markets, into a sound investment environment."

He added, "El Salvador did it with a population of 6 million," and emphasized, "Pakistan has 40 times that population size and, based on the fastest-growing digital sector in Asia, much greater potential."

Experts are also paying attention to Pakistan's shift. In Chainalysis's recently released '2025 Global Crypto Adoption Index', Pakistan ranked third, up six places from the previous year. Considering the rapid local market growth, analysts say Pakistan is highly likely to emerge as one of Asia's major virtual asset markets.