Latest news with #Bilal
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Bitcoin Vegas in US: Pakistan unveils first govt-led Bitcoin reserve
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Crypto & Blockchain Bilal Bin Saqib on Thursday announced Strategic Bitcoin Reserve at Bitcoin Vegas 2025. In front of an elite audience that included the Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, Eric Trump, and Donald Trump Jr., Bilal Bin Saqib, Pakistan's Minister for Crypto & Blockchain and CEO of the Pakistan Crypto Council, delivered a commanding keynote at Bitcoin Vegas 2025, unveiling the country's first government-led Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and with it, a radically new vision of Pakistan on the global map. Bilal's message was bold: Pakistan is no longer defined by its past. It is being reborn as a forward-looking hub of digital innovation powered by its youth, sharpened by necessity, and led by a new generation of tech statesmen. I'm not just here as a minister, Bilal said. I'm here as the voice of a generation a generation that is online, on-chain, and unstoppable. At just 34 years old, Bilal Bin Saqib has become the leading voice of a new Pakistan one with over 40 million crypto wallets, a median age of 23, and one of the largest and most active freelancer economies in the world. While other leaders talk about potential, Bilal is unlocking it with bold national moves that put Pakistan at the centre of the global crypto conversation. In his keynote, Bilal announced the establishment of a national Bitcoin wallet, holding digital assets already in state custody not for sale or speculation, but as a sovereign reserve signalling long-term belief in decentralised finance. He also thanked President Donald Trump for his role as a peacemaker in the recent India-Pakistan conflict and for his commitment to crypto adoption. He also revealed that the Government of Pakistan has allocated 2,000 megawatts of surplus electricity in Phase 1 for Bitcoin mining and AI data centres, opening doors to sovereign miners, tech firms, and clean energy partners around the world. To harness this momentum, Bilal is also leading the creation of the Pakistan Digital Assets Authority (PDAA), a regulatory body designed to empower builders, protect investors, and formalise digital finance frameworks for the future. 'Both Pakistan and Bitcoin have suffered from bad PR.' Bilal declared. But if you look past the headlines, you'll see something else: talent, resilience, and vision. His speech was not only a historic moment for Pakistan, but a call to global builders: If you're building something real come build it in Pakistan. Come build wallets for the unbanked. Come tokenize land. Come scale your mission with our youth and our unstoppable grit. As global eyes turned to Las Vegas, Bilal Bin Saqib delivered more than a keynote. He delivered a blueprint for the future of emerging markets in Web3 one that positions Pakistan as a tech-forward, youth-powered and opportunity-rich nation ready to lead. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Fake drugs case: FIR against all 25 cops of UP thana
Representative image BUDAUN: An FIR has been registered against all 25 police personnel, including SHO and members of Special Operations Group, posted at Binawar police station here for allegedly framing five men in a fake narcotics case and detaining them illegally in July 2024. The court order to file the FIR followed a plea that said Mohd Mukhtyar, Bilal, Ajit, Ashraf and Tarnveer were arrested on July 28 last year. "They were detained for two days before being falsely shown as arrested with opium under NDPS Act. All five were sent to jail and remained in custody for a month," their advocate said. Their advocate Mohammad Tasleem Gazi said, "We filed an application under BNSS section 175 in the court of CJM Budaun Mohd Tauseef Raza. We submitted CCTV footage showing that the accused were picked up from their homes on July 27. But the general diary mentioned July 30 as the arrest date, and the FIR was registered on July 31 under NDPS sections. The cops confined my clients illegally in the thana." The CJM also directed a probe. In a similar incident in Agra, a local court in June 2023 acquitted Ankit Gupta, a 37-year-old salesman who had been falsely accused of possessing 74.9 kg of marijuana. He was arrested in 2021, and spent eight months in jail before being granted bail. Gupta had told TOI that police had demanded a bribe and fabricated the case when he refused.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Bikie gang uses Canberra safe haven to infiltrate construction industry
Several gangs, including the Finks, Hells Angels and the Comancheros have significantly expanded their presence in Canberra over the past few years. Bilal, who legally changed his name to Tony Soprano in 2002 before switching back in 2012, has registered at least two suspected 'straw directors' to Safe Hands Group, including an associate of the Finks, in documents filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Safe Hands Group has expanded its business to include traffic management, professional cleaning, office management, and the provision of security services to building sites and public events. 'At Safe Hands Group, we tailor our labour hire solutions to meet the unique needs of every client ... we provide flexible staffing from a single team member to an entire workforce,' the business' claims on its website. Bilal was the original director of Safe Hands 002 Pty Ltd in June 2020, before he was replaced by his partner, Chloe Bilal, in December 2021. Finks associate Branden Jones, 26, then replaced Chloe Bilal in August 2023, and remained director until the company was placed into liquidation in April last year owing almost $894,000 in 'outstanding tax lodgements' to the Australian Tax Office. Several images obtained by this masthead reveal Jones wearing Finks merchandise and socialising with patched members of the gang. The liquidator for Safe Hands 002 Pty Ltd, Jonathon Colbran from RSM, expressed concern about the continued involvement of Bilal and his wife in the business. 'I have discerned that the former directors [Ali and Chloe Bilal] have exerted considerable financial and managerial control over the company until its cessation,' Colbran said in a statutory report to creditors in July last year. However, Colbran's investigation into the collapse of the business has been hampered by Jones' failure to comply with his director's duties. 'I am yet to receive a completed Report on Company Activities and Property nor receive any books and records from the current director,' said Colbran, who has reported Jones to ASIC over the matter. Before Safe Hands 002 Pty Ltd was placed into liquidation, another company named Safe Hands Group Pty Ltd was registered in February 2023. The company lists the director and owner as Jelena Brozinic, who has been employed by Bilal for more than a decade, including at a now-defunct hospitality business called London Burgers. This masthead has been told by the Finks gang associate that assets and clients were transferred between the two companies in an alleged case of 'phoenixing'. SMS messages appear to confirm Bilal's involvement in the company. When asked about the company's operations, an ASIC spokesman said it was 'monitoring the situation'. An ATO spokeswoman said it was 'unable to comment due to our obligations under taxpayer confidentiality laws'. According to the ATO website, the annual economic impact of illegal phoenix activity on businesses, employees, and government is estimated to be $4.89 billion. The ASIC website cites an independent report which claims phoenixing costs the government about $1.6 billion in unpaid taxes. Bilal did not respond to phone calls or an SMS from this masthead. Brozinic and Jones also did not respond to requests for comment. Bilal has previously denied his involvement with the Finks and Rebels bikie gangs. However, police officers made submissions in the ACT Supreme Court, the ACT Magistrates' Court and the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission claiming the 53-year-old was a senior figure in the ACT chapter of the Finks outlaw motorcycle gang. Detective Sergeant Owen Patterson, from the anti-bikie Taskforce Nemesis, said in court in April that Bilal was previously a leader of the ACT Rebels, which disbanded and became the 'All Brothers Crew', or the Ali Bilal Crew in late 2022 or early 2023. Patterson told the court that members then eventually 'patched over' to the Finks in 2023, and that Bilal was believed to have been appointed 'world president' of the gang. In February last year, a greyhound hearing was provided with an email from NSW Police constable Mitchell Clark, who confirmed officers attended Bilal's property in Wollogorang, about 60 kilometres north-east of Canberra. The police were conducting a compliance inspection for a firearm prohibition order served on Bilal, who was not home at the time. But police, according to Clark's email, were confronted by two other members of the Finks, one of whom was charged with assaulting an officer. 'Police located numerous items of interest in the main dwelling, including what is believed to be performance enhancing drugs and steroids... A Finks OMCG vest was in the wardrobe of the main bedroom, this is believed to belong to Ali Bilal. Ali Bilal is the president of the Finks OMCG interstate chapter and resides at this address,' Clark said in the email on September 27, 2023. In 2022, Bilal was sentenced to three months in prison after pleading guilty to five charges relating to using a carriage service to harass or threaten, after his conversations were captured by telephone intercepts. In one recording played to the ACT Magistrates' Court, Bilal ordered a woman to arrange a meeting with an unnamed man. Loading 'Get him to meet me. That's it,' Bilal yelled. 'I'm gonna f--- him, his mother, his father. I'm not gonna leave anybody tonight.' In another conversation, Bilal demanded to know the location of another man. 'We'll come to the site where you are now, and we'll deal with you in public in front of everybody to finally make a statement in this town. 'I'm happy to go to jail for it. Let's not f--- around any more,' the then 50-year-old said in the recording. Despite being sentenced to prison for behaviour Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker described as 'manipulative aggression', Bilal was able to set up a new company with ASIC in February named Hostile Takeovers Pty Ltd, which lists him as sole director and owner. In 2012, Bilal was charged with possession of steroids. But because he had changed his name by deed poll in 2002 to Tony Soprano, officers decided to charge both Bilal and Soprano with three counts of steroid possession. When the matter proceeded to court, Bilal's lawyer said his client had reverted to his original name, which prompted prosecutors to drop the charges against Soprano. The case against Bilal also collapsed when the prosecution offered no evidence.
The Age
4 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Bikie gang uses Canberra safe haven to infiltrate construction industry
Several gangs, including the Finks, Hells Angels and the Comancheros have significantly expanded their presence in Canberra over the past few years. Bilal, who legally changed his name to Tony Soprano in 2002 before switching back in 2012, has registered at least two suspected 'straw directors' to Safe Hands Group, including an associate of the Finks, in documents filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Safe Hands Group has expanded its business to include traffic management, professional cleaning, office management, and the provision of security services to building sites and public events. 'At Safe Hands Group, we tailor our labour hire solutions to meet the unique needs of every client ... we provide flexible staffing from a single team member to an entire workforce,' the business' claims on its website. Bilal was the original director of Safe Hands 002 Pty Ltd in June 2020, before he was replaced by his partner, Chloe Bilal, in December 2021. Finks associate Branden Jones, 26, then replaced Chloe Bilal in August 2023, and remained director until the company was placed into liquidation in April last year owing almost $894,000 in 'outstanding tax lodgements' to the Australian Tax Office. Several images obtained by this masthead reveal Jones wearing Finks merchandise and socialising with patched members of the gang. The liquidator for Safe Hands 002 Pty Ltd, Jonathon Colbran from RSM, expressed concern about the continued involvement of Bilal and his wife in the business. 'I have discerned that the former directors [Ali and Chloe Bilal] have exerted considerable financial and managerial control over the company until its cessation,' Colbran said in a statutory report to creditors in July last year. However, Colbran's investigation into the collapse of the business has been hampered by Jones' failure to comply with his director's duties. 'I am yet to receive a completed Report on Company Activities and Property nor receive any books and records from the current director,' said Colbran, who has reported Jones to ASIC over the matter. Before Safe Hands 002 Pty Ltd was placed into liquidation, another company named Safe Hands Group Pty Ltd was registered in February 2023. The company lists the director and owner as Jelena Brozinic, who has been employed by Bilal for more than a decade, including at a now-defunct hospitality business called London Burgers. This masthead has been told by the Finks gang associate that assets and clients were transferred between the two companies in an alleged case of 'phoenixing'. SMS messages appear to confirm Bilal's involvement in the company. When asked about the company's operations, an ASIC spokesman said it was 'monitoring the situation'. An ATO spokeswoman said it was 'unable to comment due to our obligations under taxpayer confidentiality laws'. According to the ATO website, the annual economic impact of illegal phoenix activity on businesses, employees, and government is estimated to be $4.89 billion. The ASIC website cites an independent report which claims phoenixing costs the government about $1.6 billion in unpaid taxes. Bilal did not respond to phone calls or an SMS from this masthead. Brozinic and Jones also did not respond to requests for comment. Bilal has previously denied his involvement with the Finks and Rebels bikie gangs. However, police officers made submissions in the ACT Supreme Court, the ACT Magistrates' Court and the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission claiming the 53-year-old was a senior figure in the ACT chapter of the Finks outlaw motorcycle gang. Detective Sergeant Owen Patterson, from the anti-bikie Taskforce Nemesis, said in court in April that Bilal was previously a leader of the ACT Rebels, which disbanded and became the 'All Brothers Crew', or the Ali Bilal Crew in late 2022 or early 2023. Patterson told the court that members then eventually 'patched over' to the Finks in 2023, and that Bilal was believed to have been appointed 'world president' of the gang. In February last year, a greyhound hearing was provided with an email from NSW Police constable Mitchell Clark, who confirmed officers attended Bilal's property in Wollogorang, about 60 kilometres north-east of Canberra. The police were conducting a compliance inspection for a firearm prohibition order served on Bilal, who was not home at the time. But police, according to Clark's email, were confronted by two other members of the Finks, one of whom was charged with assaulting an officer. 'Police located numerous items of interest in the main dwelling, including what is believed to be performance enhancing drugs and steroids... A Finks OMCG vest was in the wardrobe of the main bedroom, this is believed to belong to Ali Bilal. Ali Bilal is the president of the Finks OMCG interstate chapter and resides at this address,' Clark said in the email on September 27, 2023. In 2022, Bilal was sentenced to three months in prison after pleading guilty to five charges relating to using a carriage service to harass or threaten, after his conversations were captured by telephone intercepts. In one recording played to the ACT Magistrates' Court, Bilal ordered a woman to arrange a meeting with an unnamed man. Loading 'Get him to meet me. That's it,' Bilal yelled. 'I'm gonna f--- him, his mother, his father. I'm not gonna leave anybody tonight.' In another conversation, Bilal demanded to know the location of another man. 'We'll come to the site where you are now, and we'll deal with you in public in front of everybody to finally make a statement in this town. 'I'm happy to go to jail for it. Let's not f--- around any more,' the then 50-year-old said in the recording. Despite being sentenced to prison for behaviour Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker described as 'manipulative aggression', Bilal was able to set up a new company with ASIC in February named Hostile Takeovers Pty Ltd, which lists him as sole director and owner. In 2012, Bilal was charged with possession of steroids. But because he had changed his name by deed poll in 2002 to Tony Soprano, officers decided to charge both Bilal and Soprano with three counts of steroid possession. When the matter proceeded to court, Bilal's lawyer said his client had reverted to his original name, which prompted prosecutors to drop the charges against Soprano. The case against Bilal also collapsed when the prosecution offered no evidence.
News18
5 days ago
- Business
- News18
Pakistan's New Crypto Czar Is A Social Star With Global Resume, But Can He Deliver Policy?
Last Updated: Bilal Bin Saqib, Pakistan's new crypto czar, brings an LSE degree, an MBE, and a Forbes 30 Under 30 tag. But the fanfare around his appointment feels more like PR than policy At a glitzy Las Vegas crypto summit, Bitcoin 2025, held from 27 to 29 May at the Venetian and attended by US Vice President JD Vance and a host of blockchain evangelists, a Pakistani delegate unveiled a novel idea: a government-backed Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. The announcement made headlines, as did the man behind it. Bilal Bin Saqib, recently appointed as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, with the status of Minister of State., is not a bureaucrat or a financial expert. He is a London-bred social entrepreneur with a polished demeanour – and now, the face of Pakistan's most high-profile crypto push to date. Who Is Bilal Bin Saqib? An alumnus of the London School of Economics, Bilal first gained prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic for co-founding the 'One Million Meals' initiative, which provided over 100,000 meals to NHS workers and vulnerable communities in the UK. His efforts earned him an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire). He was also featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Europe Social Impact category. Honoured to be appointed as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, with the status of Minister of is a responsibility I carry with sincerity, for our youth, our builders, and the future we want to shape. Pakistan… — Bilal bin Saqib MBE (@Bilalbinsaqib) May 28, 2025 In Pakistan, he co-founded Tayaba, a non-profit initiative to distribute 'H2O Wheels' in water-scarce rural areas, garnering attention for blending social innovation with grassroots action. More recently, he launched the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC), a platform that advocates for crypto awareness. However, the PCC's work has largely been confined to media outreach and events. There is no public evidence of Bilal contributing to technical development, policy drafting, or institutional crypto governance. Until now, he has been more of a campaigner and public advocate than a policymaker. Why This Appointment Matters And Why It's Unusual Bilal's appointment to a Cabinet-rank advisory position comes as Pakistan attempts to signal its digital ambition to global investors. As Special Assistant on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, Bilal now holds ministerial status – a rare elevation for someone without a background in regulation, finance, or statecraft. Superficially, the appointment suggests an attempt to modernise governance with younger, internationally recognised voices. Yet, beneath the surface, it has raised concerns about whether such gestures translate into meaningful institutional change. The centrepiece of Bilal's early tenure is the announcement of Pakistan's Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, made on Wednesday during the Bitcoin 2025 conference. The reserve is pitched as a sovereign digital asset storehouse – a national crypto wallet to hold digital currencies already in state custody. The move is intended to signal Pakistan's long-term commitment to decentralised finance. Just days before the Vegas summit, Pakistan's finance ministry announced the allocation of 2,000 megawatts of surplus electricity for Bitcoin mining and AI data centres. The initiative, led by the Pakistan Crypto Council, aims to monetise unused energy capacity and position Pakistan as a future hub for digital infrastructure. Trumpworld And The American Tie-In The timing of Pakistan's crypto initiative closely followed US President Donald Trump's March 2025 executive order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a US Digital Asset Stockpile, seeded with Bitcoin seized in federal forfeitures. US Vice President JD Vance, who addressed the Las Vegas summit, has also positioned the administration as crypto-friendly. Pakistan's deal with World Liberty Financial (WLF) – a US-based crypto firm with reported ties to Trump allies – further suggests Islamabad's crypto pivot is taking cues from Washington's current rhetoric. According to Reuters, members of the Trump family – including Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Jared Kushner – reportedly hold a 60 per cent stake in WLF through an affiliated entity. However, whether this alignment results in meaningful outcomes remains unclear. Style Over Substance? Pakistan's crypto ambitions are expanding, but its institutional groundwork remains underdeveloped. The country lacks a comprehensive regulatory framework for virtual assets. Past policy reversals, FATF pressure, and legal ambiguities have made it a volatile environment for both investors and developers. Bilal's appointment, in this context, appears more focused on public image than practical reform. While his global profile may attract attention, it is uncertain whether he possesses the institutional authority, or policy experience, to drive structural change. Without robust regulatory architecture, initiatives like the Bitcoin Reserve risk being reduced to proof-of-concept exercises. The crucial tasks of compliance, legal coherence, and cross-border credibility remain largely unaddressed. top videos View all Conclusion Bilal Bin Saqib's rise is emblematic of a political culture that prioritises global image over substantive action. With his credentials, charisma, and communication skills, he is well-placed to narrate a story of digital transformation. But whether that narrative translates into institutional capacity, or remains confined to conference stages and social media threads, remains to be seen. First Published:
