Bhutan donates 10,000 Bitcoins to build "GMC, the City of Mindfulness" with the goal of building a green financial center in Asia
The King of Bhutan announced the use of 10,000 Bitcoins to build the "Gelepu City of Mindfulness", using digital assets to combat the brain drain and reshape the economy
(Previous summary: Endorsed by a sovereign country! Bhutan cooperates with Solana to launch the gold token "TER", which will be officially launched on National Day on 12/17)
/>(Background supplement: Bhutan has moved 800,000 citizens' "national digital identities" into Ethereum, Vitalik: Let the people have control over their data with peace of mind)
Contents of this article
The return of U.S. President Trump to the White House has led to loosening of regulations, and the sentiment in the cryptocurrency market has increased. King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk of Bhutan announced on National Day on the 17th that 10,000 Bitcoins (approximately US$1 billion) will be allocated from the national reserve as start-up capital to build the "Gelephu Mindfulness City" (Gelephu Mindfulness City, GMC). This amount accounts for approximately 40% of Bhutan’s GDP and is close to the majority of the country’s public holdings.
Bitcoin emerges from hydraulic power
Bhutan’s Bitcoin is not purchased from the market, but accumulated using excess hydropower for “green mining” since 2019. Bhutan currently ranks fifth in the world with 11,000 to 13,000 holdings. The King regarded this structure as a universally held company and publicly emphasized:
"All citizens of Bhutan are shareholders of this project."
Under the market driven by Trump, Bitcoin stood at US$100,000, and the high point magnified the leverage effect of this asset on the country's transformation.
GMC: The Firewall of the Special Economic Zone
Located in the southern Sarbang district, the GMC City of Mindfulness covers an area of 2,500 square kilometres, approximately three times that of Singapore. Information shows that the zone has an independent legal framework and administrative authorization, and was designed by BIG Architectural Firm. It combines Mandala culture and green technology. The official goal is to create 100,000 high-value jobs by 2030 to alleviate the migration of young people. Bitcoin will be regarded as a financial reserve to provide capital endorsement for attracting financial technology, green energy and Web3 companies.
Capital operation on the tightrope
The risks of using highly volatile assets for infrastructure construction are significant. Bhutan adopts a sovereign fund-style management strategy. The government prefers to use mortgages, loans and DeFi liquidity provision to generate cash flow without selling off positions. Since mining costs only include electricity and equipment depreciation, Bhutan is more tolerant of price fluctuations than countries such as El Salvador that require legal currency to purchase coins.
Inspiration for emerging markets
The Bhutan model outlines the cycle of "energy → computing power → sovereign capital → real economy" for small resource-based countries. GMC has been recognized by the Holcim Foundation Awards 2025; if it successfully connects the South and Southeast Asia economic and trade corridors, it will prove that small countries can reshape their economic structures with digital assets without having to rely on IMF or World Bank debt instruments.
The $1 billion Bitcoin capital injection bridges the long-term perspective of Buddhism with the risk appetite of decentralized finance. Whether this gamble can retain younger generations and sustain national happiness indicators will provide a key case for global sovereign wealth management over the next decade.
