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.
JUST IN: 🇸🇻 President Nayib Bukele met with Pakistan’s Minister of Crypto 🇵🇰
They discussed:
– Bitcoin mining & energy resources
– Strategic Bitcoin Reserves
– Bitcoin education pic.twitter.com/m5fz4gOPwZ
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) July 16, 2025
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.
BREAKING: 🇵🇰 Pakistan’s Finance Minister and State Minister on Crypto Bilal just talked with Michael Saylor about #Bitcoin
Nation States are here 🚀 pic.twitter.com/aa5tM5kKbY
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) June 15, 2025
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.”
🇵🇰 PAKISTAN TO ESTABLISH NATIONAL STRATEGIC #BITCOIN RESERVE
Honored to have had the Pakistan Minister Bilal Bin Saqib at the Bitcoin Conference 🚀 pic.twitter.com/7WunP5fuZm
— The Bitcoin Conference (@TheBitcoinConf) May 29, 2025
