El Salvador to Pakistan: How Governments Reshaped Crypto in 2025

Governments across the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia rewrote their crypto playbooks in 2025, shifting from observation to direct action as Bitcoin (BTC) and digital assets entered state policy on a scale never seen before.

The year marked a clear break from earlier caution, with national reserves, energy strategies, and regulatory systems reshaped around crypto’s growing role in public finance.

Governments Move From Sidelines to State Strategy

CoinMarketCap shared a series of policy moves in posts published on X on December 25, showing how crypto adoption changed tone this year, moving away from retail trading and toward government execution.

First off was the confirmation by the United States of the creation of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and the halting of automatic sales of seized BTC, quietly shifting the flagship cryptocurrency from a confiscated asset into a long-term treasury holding. The move, carried out by executive agencies rather than lawmakers, sent a strong signal that Bitcoin now sits within federal balance sheet planning.

In the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) completed and enforced wide-ranging crypto rules through Dubai’s VARA and Abu Dhabi’s ADGM. Major exchanges and custody firms expanded operations there, drawn by regulatory clarity rather than price excitement. The framework has since become a reference point for other jurisdictions seeking stability over short-term gains.

On its part, Latin America saw a more nuanced recalibration. El Salvador ended Bitcoin’s legal-tender requirement following talks with the International Monetary Fund but kept its national BTC holdings intact. That shift did not mean an exit. Last month, during a sharp market pullback, the country bought more than 1,000 BTC worth about $100 million, lifting total holdings to roughly 7,500 BTC, according to its Bitcoin Office. Essentially, the policy focus moved from ideology to budget discipline, while the balance sheet exposure remained.

Meanwhile, Pakistan took a different route by linking crypto to energy planning. The government set aside 2,000 megawatts of surplus power for Bitcoin mining and AI data centers and entered talks with Binance tied to a possible $2 billion investment. Mining was framed as a way to convert unused electricity into industrial output.

Central Banks Test Boundaries as Regulation Tightens

Europe and Brazil added further depth to the shift in 2025. For example, the Czech National Bank launched a small Bitcoin purchase pilot and, in July, disclosed an $18 million stake in Coinbase shares, marking its first public step into crypto-linked assets. While limited in size, the move lowered a long-standing barrier for developed-market central banks.

Brazil focused on structure rather than reserves, with the country rolling out licensing rules for crypto firms and pulling stablecoin flows under foreign exchange oversight. That approach builds on earlier steps, including the approval of a spot XRP ETF in December 2024, which helped channel institutional demand into regulated markets.

Taken together, these actions show that 2025 was less about enthusiasm and more about decisions. Some governments tightened controls, others committed capital, and a few blended crypto into energy and financial planning. What changed was not belief, but acceptance that crypto is now part of state policy rather than a temporary experiment.

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