Countries around the world are increasingly folding cryptocurrency and blockchain initiatives into national economic strategies, with the UAE emerging as one of the most active adopters. At the Bitcoin MENA conference in Abu Dhabi on Monday, officials and industry leaders outlined how governments across the region and beyond are turning to digital assets as part of long-term financial planning.
The UAE’s latest step is a $50 million investment fund targeting blockchain, Bitcoin and tokenisation projects designed to deliver value over the next two decades. Abdullah Al Dhaheri, CEO of the Blockchain Centre Abu Dhabi, said the country is focused on projects that offer long-term stability.
“When we invest into projects, we look at those that are stable and can achieve something for the next 10–20 years,” he said. “We believe in the future, whether it’s remittances, tokenised digital assets, Bitcoin on the balance sheet or as a treasury.”
The UAE already ranks among the world’s highest adopters of digital assets, with an estimated 30 per cent of residents using cryptocurrency. Al Dhaheri predicted that digital-asset-based remittances will mark the next significant shift in the regional market. He highlighted the regulator-industry collaboration that has helped the UAE build one of the most adaptable crypto frameworks globally. “Nobody is going to stop innovation here. They adapt to the ecosystem,” he said.
Speakers at the conference noted that this regulatory environment has been central to the UAE’s rise as a digital-asset hub. Among them was Prince Filip of Serbia, Chief Strategy Officer at Bitcoin technology company Jan3, who said more governments are evaluating Bitcoin bonds as a way to build reserves. These instruments allow states to channel funds into Bitcoin and mining infrastructure without relying on public money.
The event also spotlighted Pakistan’s recent move to create a national Bitcoin strategic reserve. Bilal Bin Saqib, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Crypto and Blockchain, said the country has allocated 2,000 megawatts of surplus energy to Bitcoin mining. The decision, he noted, stemmed from concerns about the weakening of the national currency.
“Our currency has taken a hit. If you look at the 10-year chart, it’s depreciating. Why should our people be penalised at the expense of a monetary policy created somewhere else?” he said.
Pakistan has more than 40 million crypto wallets and one of the world’s largest freelancer communities earning in stablecoins. Saqib said the country aims to become a model for converting excess energy into digital assets. “Had we set this up a couple of years ago, we would have been in a different economic position today,” he added.
Looking to the future, Prince Filip said smaller and more liberal economies, especially in the Global South, are likely to adopt Bitcoin more rapidly than Western nations. But he cautioned that pressure from global financial institutions could slow progress. He pointed to El Salvador, which faced pushback from the International Monetary Fund after adopting Bitcoin in 2021.
“It’s difficult to get away from the grips of the fiat system,” he said, noting the challenges countries face when attempting large-scale digital-currency reforms.
