Bitget Books a Ticket to Bhutan's Mindfulness City, Seeks License 🧘‍♂️

Bitget has signed a cooperation agreement with the Gelephu Mindfulness City Authority (GMCA) to establish a licensed crypto exchange presence in Bhutan's planned S.A.R., the company announced. Under the deal, Bitget will incorporate a legal entity inside Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) and file an application for a Financial Services Licence with the Gelephu Financial Services Office (GFSO), with operations subject to regulatory approval.

GMC is described in coverage as a $100 billion autonomous economic zone backed in part by Bhutan's national Bitcoin reserves, designed to support finance, technology and wellness industries. As part of the partnership, Bitget and GMCA have agreed to cooperate on operational, compliance and ecosystem development initiatives inside the city.

"Bhutan is approaching digital assets with a rare mix of long-term thinking, clean-energy advantage and regulatory clarity," said Gracy Chen, CEO at Bitget, who added: "GMC is the emerging hotbed for digital finance, and Bitget looks forward to contributing exchange experience, infrastructure knowledge and local talent development as this ecosystem grows."

Bhutan has previously been recognized for promoting environmentally sustainable cryptocurrency mining using its abundant hydropower resources, and the country's broader digital asset strategy has drawn increasing attention from international firms. Last week, GMC appointed Canadian digital-asset manager 3iQ to manage a mandate backed by an undisclosed portion of its Bitcoin treasury, with 3iQ also planning a long-term presence in the city, local investment and knowledge transfer.

The Bitget agreement adds an exchange layer to that build-out, though the scope, timeline and final licensing outcome in the S.A.R. remain contingent on regulatory review by the GFSO.