Crypto minister Bilal Bin Saqib resigns as SAPM over regulatory rules

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Crypto and Blockchain, Bilal Bin Saqib, on Tuesday resigned from his position as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) to comply with bureaucratic regulations.

Earlier, rumours circulated on WhatsApp claiming that the crypto ministry was shutting down. However, sources clarified that “crypto developments for Pakistan are still ongoing, and the minister is scheduled to speak at Binance Blockchain Week on Wednesday, December 3, in Dubai.”

Under the Rules of Business 1973, Saqib was required to resign, as the regulations prohibit an SAPM from simultaneously holding the position of chairperson of a statutory regulatory authority, such as the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA).

Special assistant to the premier Saqib was appointed as minister of state in May 2025.

He has been spearheading Pakistan’s national blockchain strategy and played a key role in establishing its regulatory authority, where he now serves as chairman

The Pakistan Crypto Council was formally established earlier this, putting Pakistan among the top four leading countries of the world that shows positive signals of improving economy of the country.

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Now, Pakistan is home to over 50 million cryptocurrency users, with an annual trading volume surpassing $300 billion. The country consistently ranks among the top five globally for crypto adoption, highlighting strong grassroots engagement with digital assets. Of its 240 million population, 70 per cent are under the age of 30.

Prime minister Shehbaz also earlier announced billions of rupees reserved for the digital currency of the country, following the hopes Bilal gave to the public of Pakistan.