New York City, June 2025 — In an extraordinary gesture of diplomatic and digital solidarity, New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared to Pakistan’s Minister of State for Crypto and Blockchain, Bilal Bin Saqib, that “We consider New York to be Lahore.”
The statement, delivered at Gracie Mansion during an official meeting, was more than symbolic—it reflected a shared vision between two emerging global players in the digital asset economy.
A Strategic Meeting of Crypto Councils
The encounter marked a pivotal step in building formal cooperation between the New York Crypto Council and the Pakistan Crypto Council—both government-backed institutions focused on steering responsible Web3 innovation, regulation, and policy.
The meeting covered:
- Joint Knowledge-Sharing Initiatives
- Capacity-Building Programs
- Strategic Advisory Collaboration
- Regulatory Compliance and Innovation Balance
The two leaders acknowledged shared challenges and discussed strategies to responsibly scale blockchain-based solutions in dynamic and high-potential markets.
The Final Leg of a Global Crypto Tour
This meeting was the final stop in Minister Saqib’s U.S. blockchain diplomacy tour, which aimed to position Pakistan as a serious participant in the evolving global crypto ecosystem.
Earlier in Washington, Saqib held meetings at the White House with Robert ‘Bo’ Hines, Executive Director of President Trump’s Council on Digital Assets. Topics included:
- Pakistan’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserves
- Cross-Border Web3 Collaboration
- Bitcoin Infrastructure Integration
- Decentralized Infrastructure Development
Why It Matters
With both New York City and Pakistan embracing formal crypto councils, this alignment signals a new era of public-private collaboration in digital finance. Pakistan’s move to declare Bitcoin as a strategic reserve and its push for regulatory infrastructure places it in the spotlight as a regional leader in crypto-forward policymaking.
The symbolism of New York as “Lahore” may be diplomatic, but the intent is clear: to form cross-continental crypto bridges that shape the next generation of finance.
