NYC mayor tells Pakistan crypto official 'New York is Lahore' during meeting

New York City Mayor Eric Adams told Pakistan's cryptocurrency minister that "we consider New York to be Lahore" during a Friday meeting at the mayor's residence, as Pakistan seeks international support for its recent entry into government-backed digital asset policy.

The comment to Pakistan's Minister of State for Crypto and Blockchain Bilal Bin Saqib came during discussions about potential collaboration between New York City's and Pakistan's crypto councils, according to a Pakistani government press release.

Both cities have established dedicated crypto councils to support digital economy growth. The meeting aimed to build collaboration between the New York Crypto Council and Pakistan Crypto Council, two government-backed bodies focused on Web3 development.

Adams and Saqib discussed knowledge-sharing initiatives, capacity-building programs and strategic advisory efforts to foster innovation while ensuring regulatory compliance, according to the release. The leaders also discussed approaches to growing digital asset economies in diverse markets.

Pakistan established its crypto leadership role May 26 when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif appointed Saqib as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Blockchain and Crypto. The move placed Pakistan among a small group of countries with dedicated cryptocurrency officials, including the United States, El Salvador and the United Arab Emirates.

'Never ever sell'

Speaking at Bitcoin Vegas 2025 on May 29, Saqib announced Pakistan would create a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and "never ever sell" the digital assets. The government has allocated 2,000 megawatts of electricity for Bitcoin mining and AI data centers.

The crypto meetings occurred alongside a separate Pakistani diplomatic mission led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressing recent tensions with India. Both Pakistani delegations were in Washington this week.

Pakistan ranks among the top 10 countries for crypto adoption, with an estimated 40 million users and over $300 billion in annual trading volume, according to industry data.