Bhutan SAR pioneers Crypto integration in strategic stock

Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), a Special Administrative Region (SAR) in Bhutan, has included digital assets such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and Binance Coin (BNB) in strategic reserves.

This move positions GMC as one of the first jurisdictions globally to officially accept cryptocurrencies as part of its financial strategy.

Bhutan pioneers crypto-based strategic reserve

The official announcement highlighted SAR's commitment to economic strength, including digital assets.

“The inclusion of digital assets in GMC's strategic reserves will increase the resilience of the SAR economy and demonstrate the evolution of power participation in Bitcoin mining,” he said.

The city's strategy focuses on digital assets with large market capitalization and deep liquidity. This ensures that you can trade easily with minimal price impact. GMC also plans to prioritize assets issued on mature and secure blockchains that allow for strong on-chain transaction tracking.

GMC's strategic position as a land bridge between the fastest growing economies in South Asia provides a wide market. This advantage makes SAR emerge as a hub for technological development and financial services.

“GMC aims to be the Hong Kong of South Asia,” Wu Blockchain said.

In particular, this development is due to GMC Act No. 1 Following the release of 2024, it is known as ‘Implementation of Laws 2024'. The law, which went into effect on December 26, 2024, established a regulatory framework for companies providing digital asset-related financial services in the GMC.

Combining this legal basis with the recognition of BTC, ETH and BNB as strategic reserve assets, SAR aims to develop a thriving digital asset ecosystem in a secure and well-regulated environment.

GMC plans to host a high-level summit in March 2025 to further strengthen its role in the global crypto playing field. The summit brings together top government officials and industry leaders from around the world. This group examines the recognition of digital assets as part of the strategic stock and the creation of a global advisory panel on digital assets for the GMC.

The recognition of BNB as a strategic reserve asset has attracted a lot of attention from the crypto community. Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) praised the decision in a post on X (Twitter).

“BNB is now a strategic reserve asset in Bhutan,” shared CZ.

According to BNB Chain, Binance Coin BNB was chosen along with BTC and ETH due to its advantages in the ecosystem. The network highlights the maturity, security and scalability of the BNB Chain. He also pointed to the potential of supporting transparency in transaction monitoring across the chain.

Well-known crypto veteran Kyle Chase expressed his happiness and praised Bhutan's move to bet on crypto. Meanwhile, this pioneering move by GMC shows the increasing role of cryptocurrencies in national financial strategies. Bhutan's decision is in line with the broader global trend of using crypto assets for reserves.

As BeInCrypto reports, the Czech National Bank is considering including Bitcoin in its reserves. Similarly, Bitcoin reserves are increasing in the United States, with 13 states leading the way by 2025.

Switzerland is also considering holding Bitcoin as a strategic reserve, further highlighting the growing role of cryptocurrencies in financial innovation.

These activities reflect the increasing role of cryptocurrencies in national financial strategies. GMC will increase its economic strength by integrating digital assets into its inventory and pave the way for the widespread use of blockchain technology in the region.

As other jurisdictions follow Bhutan's progress, this bold initiative could inspire similar efforts around the world. Such an outcome will redefine how nations view financial innovation and technological development.