Cryptocurrency Chaos: Pakistan Goes from Ban to Bitcoin Bonanza! šŸ’°šŸš€

  • Pakistan, having decided to utterly flip its previous stance on cryptocurrencies, is now in the market for a regulatory framework—because what’s a little bureaucracy among friends?
  • Surplus energy is set to be herded into Bitcoin mining and AI centers, as if the electricity was just waiting for a better purpose in life.

In what can only be described as an electrifying twist, a pause in tariff plans has somehow managed to resurrect both the broader market and its cryptocurrency cousin from the grave. One might wonder if there was a priest involved.

As it stands, the global crypto market cap has reached a staggering $2.59 trillion, with an astonishing 6.57% leap in merely a day. Would you like that in a dramatic musical, perhaps?

Pakistan’s Bitcoin mining strategy

During this belle Ʃpoque of market revival, Pakistan has realized it can actually make something of its surplus electricity. Enter stage left: Bitcoin [BTC] mining and shiny AI data centers. Who knew?!

For the uninitiated—your electricity bill might give you a clue—that the country’s energy sector is mired in difficulties, akin to a Shakespearean tragedy, rife with high tariffs and underutilized resources, perhaps even more than some friendships.

As consumers increasingly flock to solar energy like it’s the latest fashion trend, the situation has become as complex as a soap opera, where every episode adds a new twist in the tale.

In response, deep conversations are taking place with various mining firms, as they seek to establish new centers in regions overflowing with unused electricity—turning surplus power into profit, because why let anything go to waste?

Bitcoin Pakistan has taken to X (formerly known as Twitter, but it’s always nice to keep us guessing), proclaiming,

ā€œThere’s at least 10,000 megawatts of surplus energy under government control that can be used to mine Bitcoin.ā€

This grand announcement follows the power division’s reveal of plans for a new tariff—because nothing says ā€œwe careā€ quite like a revised bill designed to alleviate the financial burden of capacity payments.

This tariff dance is meant to ensure that energy-hungry operations like cryptocurrency mining can feast on affordable electricity, avoiding the awkwardness of government handouts.

In a most astonishing turn—a round of applause is warranted—Pakistan has shed its old skin in favor of new digital delights.

Pakistan’s crypto strategy

Cast your minds back, if you will, to a year ago when the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Ministry of IT and Telecom declared cryptocurrencies a strict no-no. At that point, Aisha Ghaus Pasha, the then-Minister of State for Finance, passionately declared that digital currencies were to remain the stuff of fantasy.

Not even two years post-ban, however, Pakistan has dramatically reversed its course to wade into the murky waters of crypto regulation and blockchain integration.

Let us not overlook the sprightly formation of the Pakistan Crypto Council back in March 2025—a moment that surely called for cake and confetti.

Interestingly, a recent report from Chainalysis has ranked Pakistan 9th in the 2024 Global Crypto Adoption Index for Central & Southern Asia and Oceania, a title worthy of a bronze medal in this peculiar Olympics of digital currencies.

This coincides with…

In a plot twist that would make Agatha Christie proud, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao has stepped in as a Strategic Advisor to the Pakistan Crypto Council. The excitement is palpable, though one wonders if he arrived on a white horse.

As confirmed by the Crypto Council’s CEO, Bilal bin Saqib, this glamorous appointment aligns perfectly with Pakistan’s broader ambition to conjure a clear regulatory framework around digital assets—because dancing around uncertainty is so last season.

Saqib closed with the most dramatic flair, stating,

ā€œPakistan is done sitting on the sidelines. We want to attract international investment because Pakistan is a low-cost high-growth market with a Web3 native workforce ready to build.ā€

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2025-04-11 09:22