Bilal Bin Saqib, the CEO of Pakistan’s Crypto Council, has proposed using the country’s runoff energy to fuel Bitcoin (BTC) mining at the Crypto Council’s inaugural meeting on March 21.

According to an article from The Nation, the council is exploring comprehensive regulatory frameworks for cryptocurrencies to attract foreign direct investment and establish Pakistan as a crypto hub.

The meeting included lawmakers, the Bank of Pakistan’s governor, the chairman of Pakistan’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SECP), and the federal information technology secretary. Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb had this to say about the meeting:

“This is the beginning of a new digital chapter for our economy. We are committed to building a transparent, future-ready financial ecosystem that attracts investment, empowers our youth, and puts Pakistan on the global map as a leader in emerging technologies.”

The Crypto Council represents a radical departure from the government of Pakistan’s previous stance on crypto. In May 2023, former minister of state for finance and revenue, Aisha Ghaus Pasha said crypto would never be legal in the country.

Pasha cited anti-money laundering restrictions under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as the primary motivation for the government’s anti-crypto stance.

The presence of Bitcoin miners can stabilize electrical grids. Source: Science Direct

Related: Pakistan eyes crypto legal framework to boost foreign investment

Pakistan follows the United States in embracing crypto

The government of Pakistan moved to regulate cryptocurrencies as legal tender on Nov. 4, 2024 — the same day as the elections in the United States.

Following the re-election of Donald Trump in the US and the Jan. 20 inauguration, Trump moved quickly to establish pro-crypto policies at the federal level.

On Jan. 23, President Trump signed an executive order establishing the Working Group on Digital Assets — an executive advisory council tasked with exploring comprehensive regulatory reform on digital assets.

President Trump signs executive order establishing the President’s Working Group on Digital Assets. Source: The White House

The Jan. 23 order also prohibited the government from researching, developing, or issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC).

President Trump also signed an executive order creating a Bitcoin strategic reserve and a separate digital asset stockpile in March 2025 that will likely include cryptocurrencies made by US-based firms.

Magazine: How crypto laws are changing across the world in 2025

Opinion by: Brendon Sedo, Core DAO initial contributor

Bitcoin is outgrowing the “digital gold” narrative. The primary driver of this shift is the rise of Bitcoin DeFi (BTCfi), which looks beyond the mere store-of-value use cases. 

In 2024, Bitcoin (BTC) became a natively yield-generating asset and the centerpiece of Ethereum-style decentralized finance ecosystems. 2025 is when that kindling can grow its flame on innovative Bitcoin sidechains. 

Most past attempts to tap Bitcoin’s value as a productive asset required significant changes to its base layer. That’s a big reason they failed. The Bitcoin layer 1 is not designed for much change, leaving most Bitcoiners to merely hodl and not do much else. The result is that Bitcoin remained underutilized as a network and an asset.

Bitcoin sidechains have emerged as the perfect solution to all these problems, scaling Bitcoin’s utility without altering or being limited by the base layer. Naturally, these protocols will be the most potent catalyst for BTCfi’s growth, especially with BTC surpassing $100,000, constituting over 60% of the total crypto market share, and entering a new regulatory landscape with the first “pro-crypto” US government regime.

Scaling Bitcoin, a productive asset

Per Hal Finney, “Bitcoin itself cannot scale to have every single financial transaction […] included in the blockchain.” That’s why there’s a need for a secondary level of payment’ in his view. 

For a long time, the blockchain space ignored Finney’s call to action and prioritized innovation that isolated Bitcoin. However, innovations previously limited to chains like Ethereum are now crossing over to the world of Bitcoin. Sidechains, rollups and other scaling solutions offer more options for holders who want Ethereum-style utility while remaining aligned with Bitcoin. This prepared the ground for BTCfi, where holders can access a range of income-generating solutions like staking, lending and derivatives. 

The industry is, however, still in the early innings of this revolution in Bitcoin. As of November 2024, merely 0.8% of its circulating supply is utilized for DeFi use cases, according to Galaxy Digital. Out of Bitcoin’s roughly $2 trillion market cap, less than $7 billion comprises BTCfi TVL.

While this may appear unencouraging, it highlights the massive remaining opportunity. Bitcoin L2 infrastructure scaled 7x from 2021 to November 2024. 

Recent: Bitcoin DeFi TVL up 2,000% amid bumper 2024 for BTC price, adoption

More importantly, it has accounted for a sizable share of new liquidity flowing into BTC, besides institutional products like exchange-traded funds (ETFs). 

Even if the supply of Bitcoin in BTCfi platforms and sidechains grows by 0.25% annually, the sector will have a total addressable market of $44 billion to $47 billion by 2030, according to Galaxy Digital. However, as Bitcoiners know, this is a conservative estimate and would be accelerated by accelerating BTC price action or even more Bitcoin DeFi adoption. 

VCs, for one, have started to recognize the potential of Bitcoin sidechains, investing over $447 million already, according to Galaxy Digital. Of this, about $174 million was invested in Q3 2024, setting the stage for more explosive growth in 2025. More funding for early-stage projects will ensure more successful launches, innovations, choices for users, and overall value. 

As Bitcoin-native solutions provide access to productive use cases for Bitcoin, users will no longer need to rely on trusted intermediaries and Bitcoin-agnostic smart contract platforms. Sacrifices that were necessary to expand the utility of Bitcoin in the past will no longer be required. That can unlock substantial value for principled BTC holders and even the Bitcoin network itself. 

Yields on Bitcoin for Bitcoin

So far, bridging to Turing-complete Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chains has been a go-to way to facilitate yields and other financial use cases on Bitcoin. For example, the wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) market on Ethereum is more than $10 billion. While solutions like WBTC have been suitable for some, many Bitcoin holders prefer not to entrust custodians with their capital or rely on chains like Ethereum, which do not align with Bitcoin’s consensus principles or support the network at all. 

BTCfi, defined by Bitcoin-aligned and Bitcoin-powered infrastructure, is a solution from which both WBTC users and Bitcoin purists can benefit. Users who are already accustomed to Ethereum’s smart contract sophistication can continue to enjoy that EVM experience while also growing closer to Bitcoin’s roots. Principled Bitcoin users can get more options for their BTC’s utility if the sidechain aligns with the base network. 

Bitcoin holders also gain access to BTC derivatives superior to Ethereum-native solutions like WBTC. Yield-bearing BTC derivatives on Bitcoin-aligned sidechains are a 100x improvement, offering self-custody and previously unavailable yield sources to Bitcoin holders. 

Overall, BTCfi can be much more significant. Not just compared to where it is now, but also vis-a-vis EVM and SVM-based DeFi. Bitcoin sidechains are already driving this shift, and will continue to do so throughout 2025. All that is needed is the right approach and consistency regarding development and product pipelines.

For BTCfi, the path is clear: Deliver use cases with product-market fit to Bitcoin holders on Bitcoin-powered platforms. This will lay the foundation for generating even more value for the Bitcoin community as a whole. And ultimately, there will be a positive flywheel of Bitcoin adoption. 

The institutional side led headlines in 2024. Now, it’s time for the native, onchain camp to show its strength and deliver. 

Opinion by: Brendon Sedo, Core DAO initial contributor.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Opinion by: Ido Ben Natan, co-founder and CEO of Blockaid

Centralized exchanges (CEXs) have controlled what people can trade for years. If a token wasn’t listed on major exchanges, it didn’t exist for most users. That system worked when crypto was small. But today? It’s completely broken.

The rise of Solana-based memecoins, the popularization of projects like Pump.fun and developments in AI-driven token creation are driving the creation of millions of new tokens each month. 

Exchanges have not evolved to keep up. That must change. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong recently weighed in on the topic, saying that exchanges must shift from an allowlist model to a blocklist model, where everything is tradeable unless flagged as a scam.

In many ways, this is the Kodak moment for CEXs. Kodak’s failure to adapt to digital photography has made it a poster child of failed strategy. Now, exchanges are faced with the same threat. The old way of doing things isn’t just slow — it’s obsolete. The real question is: What comes next?

The old model is holding exchanges back

CEXs were initially built to make crypto feel safe and familiar. They modeled their approach after traditional stock markets — carefully vetting every token before it could be listed. This system was designed to protect users and keep regulators happy. Crypto, however, does not function like the stock market.

Unlike stocks, which require months of filings and approvals before going public, anyone can create a token instantly. Exchanges simply can’t keep up. The recent launch of the TRUMP coin is a great example. It launched on Jan. 17 and immediately skyrocketed in value, but by the time it had been listed on significant CEXs, it was already past its peak.

Recent: Bybit hack a setback for institutional staking adoption: Everstake exec

For exchanges, this isn’t just an efficiency problem — it’s a fight for survival. The rules they were built on don’t fit crypto’s reality anymore. To compete, they must reinvent themselves before the market leaves them behind.

CEXs shouldn’t fight DEXs

Instead of fighting to preserve outdated listing processes, exchanges should embrace the open access of DEXs while retaining the best parts of centralized trading. Users simply want to trade, regardless of whether an asset is officially “listed.” The most successful exchanges will remove the need for listings altogether. Listing tokens faster is not enough when the future is an open-access model.

This new generation of exchanges won’t just list tokens — they’ll index them in real-time. Every token created onchain will be automatically recognized, with exchanges sourcing liquidity and price feeds directly from decentralized exchanges (DEXs). Instead of waiting for manual approvals, users will have access to any asset the moment it exists.

Access alone isn’t enough — trading has to be seamless. Future exchanges will integrate onchain execution and embedded self-custody wallets, enabling users to purchase tokens just as easily as they do today. Features like magic spend will enable exchanges to fund self-custodial accounts on demand, converting fiat into the required onchain currency, routing trades through the best available liquidity and securing assets without users needing to manage private keys or interact with multiple platforms.

Nothing will change from the user’s perspective — but everything will be different. A trader will simply click “buy,” and the exchange will handle everything in the background. They won’t know if the token was ever “listed” in the traditional sense — they wouldn’t need to know.

The biggest roadblock is security

Shifting from an allowlist to a blocklist is the first step toward a more open-access model for CEXs. Rather than deciding which tokens users can trade, exchanges would only block scams or malicious assets. While this shift makes trading more efficient, it also presents significant security and compliance challenges. Threats will constantly test the system, and effective protections must be implemented.

Regulators expect CEXs to enforce compliance more strictly than DEXs. Removing manual listing will require real-time monitoring to halt transactions involving high-risk assets or illicit activity. Security cannot be reactive; it must be proactive, near-instant and automated. Open-access trading may be too risky for users and exchanges without this foundation.

The future is open

The way CEXs operate today isn’t built for the future. A manual approval process for token listings doesn’t scale, and as DEXs continue to gain ground, the old model is becoming a competitive disadvantage.

The logical next step is moving to a blocklist model, where all tokens are tradable by default except those flagged as malicious or non-compliant. To survive, CEXs should work to replace slow, manual reviews with real-time threat detection, onchain security monitoring and compliance automation.

The exchanges that get this transition right — the ones that integrate security at the core of an open-access model — will lead the next era of crypto. The ones that don’t? They’ll be left trying to compete with DEXs while still using a system that no longer fits the market.

Opinion by: Ido Ben Natan, co-founder and CEO of Blockaid.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.