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Bhutan’s GMC to establish strategic crypto reserve

Policy & Regulation·January 09, 2025, 12:19 PM

Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), a special administrative region (SAR) within the Kingdom of Bhutan, plans to establish a strategic cryptocurrency reserve.

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Bitcoin, Ether & BNB

That’s according to an announcement published by the new administrative region on Jan. 8. In that statement the GMC SAR outlined that it has the intention to “recognise digital assets such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and BNB as part of its strategic reserves.” The SAR acknowledged that the move would result in it becoming one of the first jurisdictions to officially put in place the holding of digital assets as part of strategic reserves.

 

While it cited Bitcoin, Ether and BNB, the SAR outlined that it has the intention to recognize digital assets with large market capitalizations and deep liquidity. That requirement has been set out so that it can easily trade in and out of these assets without impacting asset prices on the open market.

 

The Kingdom of Bhutan is no stranger to cryptocurrency. It emerged in 2023, through court filings in the bankruptcies of crypto lenders Celsius and BlockFi, that Bhutan had cryptocurrency holdings managed by Druk Holding and Investments, the commercial arm of the Royal Government of Bhutan. 

 

An evolution of Bitcoin mining activity

Shortly afterwards, it was revealed that Bhutan had been mining Bitcoin since it was priced at $5,000. Crypto mining was deemed to be a good fit for the Kingdom, given its considerable hydroelectric resources. Bhutan has entered into partnerships with Singapore-headquartered crypto mining firm Bitdeer to jointly develop green digital asset mining operations.

 

Given this background, the SAR stated that adding crypto as part of a strategic reserve would be “an evolution of the jurisdiction’s involvement in bitcoin mining.”

 

Crypto rather than Bitcoin-only

Taking to the X social media platform, the BNB network project described the move as “a major milestone for blockchain adoption.” It added that the SAR’s inclusion of BNB suggests the existence of global trust in the BNB Chain ecosystem and belief in its utility.

 

Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) also chimed in, pointing out that the Bhutan GMC SAR isn’t just considering a Bitcoin reserve but one which includes crypto more broadly. CZ added that this demonstrates that Bhutan is open-minded and open to the consideration of cryptocurrencies beyond Bitcoin. The Binance founder said that this development “opens the door for BNB (and other crypto) to be included in other countries' National Strategic Reserves.”

 

He believes that this will be the first of many strategic crypto reserves to be established. “This is a smart move by the country to attract crypto companies, investments, and innovation,” he added.

 

The GMC SAR covers an area of 1,000 square kilometers, making it larger geographically than the city-state of Singapore. Its objective is to become a global leader in sustainable development, with a specific emphasis on holistic living, mindfulness and economic development. 

 

The Bhutanese authorities intend for GMC to become a gateway for tourists visiting the area and Bhutan more broadly. It’s also seen as an initiative which can garner further foreign direct investment.

 

According to data published by on-chain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence, the Kingdom of Bhutan holds 11,688 BTC ($1.1 billion) and 656 ETH ($2.18 million). 

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