Pakistan’s Crypto Council (PCC): Who’s Leading It?

The Pakistan Crypto Council and Bilal Bin Saqib have become shorthand for Islamabad’s recent pivot toward digital assets and blockchain policy. 

The council was set up as a formal body to advise on regulation, mining, and wider digital finance strategy, and Bilal Bin Saqib moved rapidly from civil society and startups into a government-facing role as the council’s chief executive and a special assistant with minister of state status. 

That combination of institutional mandate and a visible public leader changes how Pakistan is being discussed by investors and media.

Who is Bilal Bin Saqib? Background and credentials

Bilal Bin Saqib is a British Pakistani entrepreneur and social impact founder who built a public profile through humanitarian work and then through blockchain communities and advisory roles. He was recognised on Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 for social entrepreneurship and has an academic background that includes a master’s from the London School of Economics. 

In 2023 he received an MBE for charitable work during the Covid period, most notably for the One Million Meals initiative in the UK. Those credentials helped him bridge the worlds of civic projects, startups, and international networks.

More recently he founded and led several Web3 initiatives and was a visible organiser in Pakistan’s blockchain community. 

That profile led to his appointment as chief adviser to Pakistan’s finance ministry on the new Pakistan Crypto Council and then as special assistant to the prime minister on blockchain and crypto with the status of minister of state. His public communications emphasise investment, youth opportunity, and regulatory sandboxes as priorities.

What is the Pakistan Crypto Council and what is its mandate?

The Pakistan Crypto Council was launched in March 2025 as a government-backed body to design a regulatory roadmap for crypto, advise on industry development, and coordinate with anti-money laundering authorities on compliance standards. 

The stated aims include drafting rules for exchanges, stablecoins for remittances and trade, pilot regulatory sandboxes, and outlining how mining and real-world asset tokenisation could fit within Pakistan’s economic strategy. Several government statements describe the council as a way to channel private sector know-how into formal policymaking.

Read Also: Pakistan Crypto Council: New Rules & Stock Market Crash Impact

The council’s remit is intentionally broad. It sits at the intersection of finance, energy policy, and international investment outreach. That explains why announcements tied to the council range from technical rulebooks and AML guidance to infrastructure moves like allocating surplus power for mining and invitations to overseas crypto firms to run pilots. 

Because the council is new, much of its early work is framing and outreach rather than fully fledged regulation; parliamentary processes and AML authority review remain central parts of how any rules will be formalised.

Early policy moves and international partnerships

Since the PCC’s launch, Islamabad and the council have made headline-grabbing moves intended to attract capital and build a domestic crypto industry. Among the most notable are the announcement of a government-led strategic bitcoin reserve and public statements that the government would allocate 2,000 megawatts of surplus electricity for the first phase of bitcoin mining and AI data centres. 

Those are strategic signalling moves meant to show long-term commitment, though operational details such as procurement, custody, and energy scheduling remain to be released through formal channels.

On partnerships the council has signed letters of intent with several foreign firms to explore stablecoin use cases, DeFi testbeds, and tokenisation. One widely reported LOI was with World Liberty Financial, a venture publicly associated with the Trump family. 

Read Also: Pakistan Sets National Crypto Strategy: From Regulation to Adoption

That partnership attracted rapid attention and scrutiny in media because of political optics and questions over transparency. Pakistan has also been linked in reporting to conversations with major industry figures and exchanges, and some outlets have mentioned advisory roles for prominent founders. 

These relationships are still at a preliminary stage and should be read as exploratory rather than binding commercial commitments.

Criticisms, risks, and the political context

The council’s early actions have drawn scrutiny on multiple fronts. Critics point to the pace of announcements relative to existing law and to the potential for political or reputational risk when public institutions engage closely with controversial private projects. 

The LOI with World Liberty Financial prompted questions in several media outlets about governance, conflict of interest, and whether due diligence was sufficient given the venture’s high profile. Observers have asked for transparency on the nature of the agreements, the expected economic benefits, and safeguards against illicit finance.

Operational risks are also tangible. Allocating power for mining affects energy planners and requires clear rules so that mining does not distort local supply or raise political backlash. 

Creating a strategic bitcoin reserve raises custody and accounting challenges that a treasury or central bank normally manages. Finally, the council must square investor-friendly policy with anti-money laundering obligations and FATF expectations. 

The government has said it will develop a FATF-compliant framework, but the details will determine whether the council’s agenda becomes durable policy or a short-lived experiment.

Conclusion

Pakistan’s crypto journey is now personified by the Pakistan Crypto Council and by Bilal Bin Saqib. The council is a deliberate attempt to move from ambiguity toward formal policy while also using big announcements to attract attention and capital. That approach has trade-offs. 

Bold signalling can open doors to investment, but it also raises scrutiny and increases the need for transparency and legal rigour. In practice, the council’s impact will depend on how quickly and cleanly Pakistan can turn bilateral letters of intent into tested pilots, draft clear AML and licensing rules, and manage energy and custodial constraints.

If Pakistan succeeds in doing that, the country could capture economic opportunity in payments, tokenisation, and data infrastructure. If it stumbles on governance or legal detail, the reputational costs could outweigh near-term gains. 

For now the council’s work is a live experiment in policymaking and market signalling, with Bilal Bin Saqib as the public face charged with translating networks and proposals into implementable policy.

FAQ

Who leads the Pakistan Crypto Council?

The council’s chief executive and the government’s named crypto adviser is Bilal Bin Saqib, who was also appointed special assistant to the prime minister on blockchain and crypto with the status of minister of state.

When was the Pakistan Crypto Council created?

The council was launched in March 2025 as part of a broader government effort to produce a regulatory roadmap for virtual assets.

Is Pakistan creating a bitcoin reserve?

Pakistan announced plans for a government-led strategic bitcoin reserve. The council and government communications described the reserve as a long-term holding strategy. Operational details and legal accounting treatment have not yet been fully disclosed.

What is the deal with World Liberty Financial and why did it attract attention?

The Pakistan Crypto Council signed a letter of intent with World Liberty Financial, which is publicly associated with the Trump family. The association generated media scrutiny about transparency and political optics. Both sides have framed the LOI as exploratory, focused on pilot projects and tokenisation.

What are the main risks the council must manage? 

Key risks include AML and compliance issues, energy and infrastructure planning for mining, custody and accounting for any strategic reserve, and reputational risks related to opaque or politically sensitive partnerships. The government says it will pursue FATF-compliant frameworks and phased pilots.