Pareesa Afreen 
Nov 02, 2025
Highlighting Pakistan’s rise in the world of digital finance and artificial intelligence (AI), Minister of State for Crypto and Blockchain Bilal bin Saqib is ranked among the world’s most influential figures shaping the future of cryptocurrency, technology, and financial diplomacy.
The recognition comes from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) investigative report, “How a Billionaire Felon Boosted Trump’s Crypto Company en Route to a Pardon,” published on Friday.
The report mentions Saqib's name 11 times — an unusual spotlight for a Pakistani policymaker — indicating a growing presence at the intersection of technology, geopolitics, and digital finance.
Saqib is featured in the report alongside global leaders such as the Binance Founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ), notable members of the Trump family, and prominent Emirati investors, effectively placing him in the class of a new generation responsible for leading the emergence of the blockchain era.
Saqib, a British-Pakistani entrepreneur and London School of Economics (LSE) graduate, honoured with a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), served as Pakistan's Minister of State for Crypto and Blockchain in 2025, after leading the Pakistan Crypto Council.
As Pakistan's Minister of State for Crypto and Blockchain, he announced the launch of the government's first Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, as well as 2,000 MW of excess power allocated for crypto mining and AI data centres, signs of Pakistan's ambition to become an innovation hub for blockchain.
Saqib recently appeared at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) summit in Riyadh, representing Pakistan among world leaders, investors, and pioneers of AI, alongside both the CEOs of J.P. Morgan and Ripple, the founder of Reddit, and the Prime Minister of Albania.
Once again, his presence reinforced the image of Pakistan as a nation able and willing to lead in cryptocurrency and AI.
