Field Marshal Asim Munir meets PCC chief Bilal Bin Saqib

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir held a high-level meeting with Bilal Bin Saqib, CEO of the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC), at General Headquarters (GHQ) to explore the future of Pakistan’s digital economy.

The discussion centered on leveraging blockchain, cryptocurrency, and artificial intelligence to empower the country’s youth and bolster economic resilience, reflecting a national commitment to emerging technologies for global competitiveness.

Bilal Bin Saqib emphasized the pivotal role of Pakistan’s youth in driving this transformation, stating, “The Pakistan Crypto Council exists because our youth demand a seat at the global tech table. We are building for a generation that sees digital finance, decentralization, and AI as opportunities to lead, innovate, and uplift the nation.”

He updated the COAS on PCC’s initiatives, including a recent visit by a World Liberty Financial delegation and Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, ongoing regulatory consultations, and international collaborations aimed at fostering a digitally skilled and globally competitive generation.

Earlier, World Liberty Financial (WLF) — the decentralized finance (DeFi) platform backed by the U.S. President Donald Trump — signed a landmark Letter of Intent (LOI) with the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) to accelerate blockchain innovation, stablecoin adoption, and decentralized finance (DeFi) integration across Pakistan.

According to press release issued by finance ministry here Sunday, the WLF delegation, including Zachary Folkman, Zachary Witkoff (son of Steve Witkoff who’s the United States Special Envoy to the Middle East), and Chase Herro, met with Pakistan’s leadership including the Prime Minister, Chief of Army Staff, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Information and Minister of Defence to formalize cooperation, marking a major step toward positioning Pakistan as a global leader in the digital finance revolution.

World Liberty Financial is backed by the Trump family, including President Donald Trump and his sons — Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Barron Trump.

President Trump has personally endorsed WLF through his statements on social media, platform, Twitter (X), the statement added. In his tweet in September 2024, Trump referred to the launch of the platform whitelist as a ‘historic moment’.