By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Crypto & Blockchain, Bilal Bin Saqib, met Robert “Bo” Hines, Executive Director of US President Donald Trump’s Council on Digital Assets, at the White House on Wednesday to hash out a strategic alignment on digital assets, a government statement said on Wednesday.
The talks, which also touched on Bitcoin integration and the future of decentralised infrastructure, mark a notable step in bilateral efforts to navigate the fast-evolving world of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, state-run Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) said.
Hines, tapped by President Trump in January 2025 to steer national policy on digital asset innovation, regulation, and emerging financial technologies, hosted Saqib, who also head the PCC.
Saqib’s role took shape in May when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif named him special assistant on blockchain and cryptocurrency, granting him the status of a minister of state to craft a comprehensive, FATF-compliant regulatory framework for digital assets, kickstart Bitcoin mining projects, and weave blockchain into governance, finance, and land records.
The White House meeting follows Pakistan’s announcement of its Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR) at the Bitcoin 2025 Conference in Las Vegas, a move that shows the country among Asia’s first to weave Bitcoin into its sovereign asset playbook. “I envision Pakistan to be a leader in the Global South for Digital Assets,” Saqib said during the talks. “From launching our Strategic Bitcoin Reserve to unlocking national infrastructure for crypto mining and AI data zones, Pakistan is building a real framework for digital asset adoption and economic modernisation.”
Both sides signaled a keen interest in forging closer ties between the US and Pakistan on digital asset innovation, regulatory coherence, and cutting-edge financial tech, the statement said. They also zeroed in on ways to bolster innovation ecosystems that empower youth and speed up economic inclusion through blockchain.
Saqib also met with the White House Counsel’s Office, a nod to the broader stakes of the talks.
Pakistan plans to channel two gigawatts of power into Bitcoin mining and AI-driven data zones, part of a broader strategy to harness digital assets for economic growth. The SBR announcement in Las Vegas underscores that push, positioning Pakistan as a player in the global shift toward decentralised finance.
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