President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador hosted Pakistan’s Minister of Crypto, Bilal Bin Saqib, for a meeting focused on expanding global Bitcoin collaboration.
According to an official statement, the two leaders discussed three major topics: Bitcoin mining and energy resources, the creation of strategic Bitcoin reserves, and advancing Bitcoin education in their respective countries.
El Salvador made history in 2021 by becoming the first nation to declare Bitcoin legal tender. Since then, the country has launched a state-run “Bitcoin piggy bank” holding over 6,240 BTC, worth more than $400 million. They’ve mined an additional $29 million in Bitcoin using geothermal energy from the Tecapa volcano—one of the world’s few government-run green mining operations.
Beyond its financial holdings, El Salvador is also investing in the next generation. In April of this year, the Ministry of Education announced a nationwide rollout of a Bitcoin-focused curriculum titled “What Is Money?”, targeting students aged 7–13. It’s part of a push that includes the Mi Primer Bitcoin program and the CUBO+ university-level scholarship initiative.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has undergone a policy shift. In March, the country announced plans to legalize Bitcoin and crypto and establish a regulatory framework to attract global investment. “Pakistan is done sitting on the sidelines,” said Saqib. “We want to attract international investment because Pakistan is a low-cost, high-growth market with 60% of the population under 30.”
Just weeks before today’s meeting, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Saqib held a high-profile conversation with Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor. The discussion centered on how Bitcoin could play a transformative role in Pakistan’s economy.
Pakistan also recently announced plans to utilize surplus electricity for Bitcoin mining and AI data centers—positioning itself as a new hub for digital infrastructure. The country recently appointed Binance founder Changpeng Zhao as a strategic crypto advisor and has entered talks with several mining firms.
During the 2025 Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas, Saqib made headlines by declaring:
“Today, I will announce that the Pakistan government is setting up their own government-led Bitcoin strategic reserve… and this wallet, the national Bitcoin wallet. It’s not for speculation or hype. We will be holding this Bitcoin and we will never ever sell them.”
