Bhutan Pledges 10,000 Bitcoin Worth $1B to Fund Mindfulness City
Bhutan has pledged up to 10,000 BTC—valued at about $1 billion—as sovereign digital asset reserves to fund the development of Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), a new economic hub in southern Bhutan. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck emphasized that this initiative aims for all Bhutanese to participate as beneficiaries and shareholders through a national land policy. The Bitcoin reserve, one of the largest sovereign digital asset commitments for infrastructure globally, will support economic development, job creation, and national resilience. The BTC will be managed for GMC's benefit, with strategies under consideration including collateralization, risk-managed yield, and long-term holding; the bitcoin will not be sold, ensuring long-term value appreciation and strong governance. Bhutan already holds nearly 6,000 BTC, ranking seventh among sovereign bitcoin holders, and continues to expand blockchain adoption, including making Bitcoin, Ethereum, and BNB strategic reserves, enabling crypto payments, integrating digital identity on Ethereum, and issuing a gold-backed token (TER) on Solana. These moves reflect Bhutan’s drive to merge blockchain innovation with principles of transparency and sustainability.
