Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan agree to deepen crypto and blockchain ties

In a key development on the digital currency front, Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan have agreed to enhance cooperation in crypto and blockchain technologies, reported Radio Pakistan on Saturday.

According to the state-run broadcaster, the agreement was reached during a high-level video conference between Bilal Bin Saqib, Minister of State for Crypto and Blockchain, and Farkhat Iminov, Kyrgyz Director of the National Investment Agency.

Saqib said Kyrgyzstan holds special significance for collaboration in innovation and regulatory frameworks related to digital assets.

Pakistan has accelerated efforts to establish a structured digital asset regulation, including launching the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) and announcing the country’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve earlier this year.

Just days earlier, Saqib met with the Executive Director of President Trump’s Council on Digital Assets, Robert Bo Hines, to discuss global coordination of crypto policy and Pakistan’s ambitious plans to become a regional hub for Web3 innovation.

This dialogue followed the minister’s visit to the US in June, where he held extensive meetings with top US lawmakers, including Senators Cynthia Lummis, Tim Sheehy, and Rick Scott, as well as New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Bo Hines.

Last month, Saqib met with President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador in San Salvador, marking the first-ever official meeting between a Pakistani government representative and the Salvadoran Head of State.

During the meeting, the two discussed El Salvador’s experience as the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender and explored avenues through which Pakistan could draw on these learnings to inform its own digital asset frameworks.